Unified Fields
by kaze no akatsuki
Summary: When "occult" activity leaves crucified bodies strewn over England, Ciel decides to investigate - and quickly discovers that his butler is not the only demon roaming England's city streets. Plunged into a world he was never meant to be a part of, Ciel uncovers the truth behind what could be the biggest lie he's ever been told - and finds that maybe his ending might not be so grim.
1. Chapter 1

**I will continue to post Black Butler fics until one of them "sticks" in the community, I swear it.**

 **I am aware that plots like this have already been done, however, I wanted to exert my own take on this while also fleshing out characters I intend to use in my novel.**

 **That said –**

 **WARNINGS: Possibly some AU elements, possible OOC-ness on the part of Ciel. Sebastian, I have no problem with. Ciel can be a little harder. SUICIDE and ABUSE are elements, but hardly major ones. Of course, there will be sex, because what would Black Butler be without Sebastian seducing someone? (Dub-con will feature someplace.)**

 **I shall leave pairings unannounced, because frankly I haven't decided any yet. You're more than welcome to suggest something , lovely community, if you'd like to see a particular one. (Crack pairings accepted.)**

 **Moving on:**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything or anyone except for my own OC's. Owning Sebastian would be awesome, don't get me wrong, but alas...**

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 **CH I**

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Light.

It was such an odd thing for a creature like him to consider. Not just physical light – that unto itself wasn't much in the way of interest. But this idea that people could be Light or Dark, Good or Bad – and further, that they had a choice to be so – this was, to him, an interesting kind of thought to entertain.

He, of course, tended to rank on the darker end of that theoretical spectrum, at least by human standards. No human in their right mind, so far as he was concerned, would dare place him anywhere else, for he was their predator, by design, and they his delicate prey. It was only natural, then, that they would consider him to be bad news, just as a sheep might consider a wolf in the same manner.

Unless, of course, they never noticed the difference.

"Sebastian, come here." The demon was swift to answer his Master's call, coming to stand beside him where he sat in his study, over-viewing the daily mail.

"Look at this," Ciel pointed long, dainty fingers to a piece of the page, where a large, bold title read, **"MAN FOUND DEAD IN CHURCH IN CANTERBURY, SUSPECTS ADMITTED TO PERFORMING 'DARK MAGIC'"**. Ciel quietly scoffed at the outrageousness of it, but reading into the page, he came upon an interesting detail.

 _"_ _...The suspects were interrogated by police, where they admitted to having been performing 'Dark Magic' rituals near the Church, however, they deny association with the body. Despite this, the body appears to have been crucified at one point or the other, with gashes apparent at the wrist and throat so as to bleed the victim dry – yet, no blood could be found on the body or at the Church the body was found in. While apparently favoring the denial of the suspect's association with the crime, a marking bearing likeness to a demon summoning sigil was found branded onto the victim's chest, with the wounds occurring postmortem..."_

Ciel read over it, pointing as he read so as his butler might follow.

"Seems interesting." The older man admitted, pausing in his reading to tidy up the afternoon tea dishes.

"Hm, indeed. Makes me wonder if we'll be called to investigate. Branding someone with a demon seal, especially after they are dead? What would be the purpose of that?" Sebastian, going about his business, chose wisely to stay discreet about the matter, not wishing to upset his Master unnecessarily.

" I am uncertain what their purpose would be, but they're playing with fire, in any case – assuming those summoning sigils mean anything, which they very rarely do, as you know. Still..." Sebastian paused, thinking. Summoning seals on a dead body usually didn't mean good things in his experience. Even if it amounted to nothing, the idea might be worth investigating, for the purposes of protecting his valued interests, if nothing else.

"Perhaps we should investigate ourselves. It is in my experience that persons of this nature are typically attempting to resurrect the dead – a phenomena we have already had our share of poor experiences with." The observant butler did not miss the cringe his Master gave at the memory.

"Alright, but how would they use the body?" Ciel asked innocently. So much for being discreet.

"One needs a body to house a soul – the recently deceased are perfect for resurrecting lost souls, in theory, because their lack of energy means that that soul can, temporarily, re-assimilate with that body."

"But?"

"However," Sebastian went on to clarify, "It is not often that it is a human soul they invite into the dead host, but that of a weaker demon. Thus, a "ghoul" is formed – that of a demon which inhabits the bodies of the dead."

"Are they dangerous?" Ciel asked, gaze uncertain when it met his servant's face, as though he was unsure whether to believe the demon or not.

"Not especially, but they are tiresome, and can spread disease like wild-fire if they are not kept in check." Sebastian said, sighing at length. His last accidental experiences with Ghouls cost the human world dearly – killing half the population of Europe with Plague had not been his intentions in the slightest, but alas, those bloody corpses just kept it right on going. But there were other, quieter times to reminisce about that. "They are much like the creatures we encountered aboard the Campania, only far harder to kill. They rarely inhabit humans, but it has happened before – thus, the concept of a 'Zombie'." Sebastian explained, choosing to omit his knowledge of what, precisely, a human Ghoul could do. He noted the calm way his Master was absorbing the information – but it was a deceptive calm, and he knew it. A long pause ensued.

"Prepare a carriage for tomorrow and cancel all other plans. We are going to Canterbury."

"Yes, My Lord."

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Ciel and his party of one walked through the cobbled streets of Canterbury at a leisurely pace. The young lord had been here before, of course, but it had been some time since he'd seen the quaint little town.

"Where do you suppose they are keeping the suspects?"

"I would imagine somewhere within town hall – keeping them in a prison cell would attract too much attention. Humans do, after all, have a predisposition for being superstitious." Ciel shot his butler a glare, but it was only half-meant.

A sudden scream made the Earl's lax position at that moment shift into violent momentum, his spine snapping straight as if a wire had been pulled straight up it like the strings on a marionette. All at once too alert, his head began to throb, but he ignored it in favour of determining where the screaming had come from, his mind and ears alert for any other sound. He wasn't the only one, of course, who noticed the screaming, and as he gazed about uncertainly, he seen the crowd begin to gravitate towards a cross-street some block away from him.

"Come, Sebastian!" Ciel called the butler like a dog, (an insult said butler dismissed for the time) to his side, and began running towards the crowd, curiosity and apprehension drawing him to whatever it was that had gotten their attention in the first place.

Pushing through the crowd was no easy task when you were barely more than a meter and a half * tall, but Ciel managed to duck and wriggle like a snake through the throngs and up to the front, his butler pushing in an infuriatingly easy pace through the gap he made behind him. Looking up, Ciel suddenly understood what had made the woman (he presumed the voice was female) scream before, for there, upon a stack of bricks that lay before what was probably once a church, was an old cross – one that looked like it had been there forever – that now was leaning forward at a precipitous angle, burdened by the weight of a dead, bloody body.

Or, at least, he _looked_ dead.

"Ow..." The apparent corpse, that of a very tall, lean man with long, silvery-white hair that defied his young complexion, groaned in a half-sigh. He wore a garment that seemed more befitting of the century prior, a single tailored suit that had, at one point, been a creamy white, with gold embellishments at the hems and cuffs. He'd been nailed to the cross in a typical fashion, save for one thing – a thing which made the fact he wasn't dead seem nearly impossible, or at least highly improbable.

He had some twenty-three centimeter _nail*_ driven straight through where his heart _should_ have been.

"Ow...that kinda hurts..." The half-dead (for surely, he couldn't have been totally alive or well with that much blood lost and a freaking _nail_ sticking grotesquely from his chest) man groaned, opening one bleary eye, though his hair, which fell as if a veil before his face, concealed it's expression or liveliness.

"He's alive...He's alive!" Someone beside Ciel in the crowd called out, searching frantically for something. "Someone, get a doctor! This man is alive!"

"No need for that, now." The man on the cross said in an entirely too-calm way, his head lifting stiffly – and revealing something that made the Earl's wary heart skip a few beats and his stomach clench uncomfortably.

"What?" The man in the crowd turned a bewildered eye to the stranger on the cross, who's eyes now scanned over the crowd in a fashion Ciel was far too familiar with, their peculiar colour – a deep, burgundy red – shockingly apparent, but not in the slightest bit lurid for his complexion, which was extremely pale, but now, examining him closer, seemed lively.

It made the supernatural-savvy Earl Phantomhive clench his gut, entirely unsure what to make of that colour.

"Sebastian."

"Yes, My lord?" Ciel didn't get to finish before he felt more than seen the man's red gaze descend upon him, flicking quickly to Sebastian and back a few times. Frozen by a sense he could not explain, Ciel watched the man's gaze settle on Sebastian finally.

"Hey, mind helping a fellow out up here?" He called to the butler in a strangely familiar fashion. "These nails fucking hurt."

"Oh?" Sebastian said, seemingly out of surprise, though Ciel did not miss the amusement dancing in his eyes, particularly when they looked back at him for permission. Ciel thought on it for a moment before nodding solemnly, hoping he wasn't making a mistake.

"Get him down."

Sebastian approached the leaning cross without hesitation, climbing gracefully up the bricks until he could reach the shining silver nails that pinned the man – or whatever he happened to be – up there. He began with the legs, pulling a large silver nail from the man's shin with a sickeningly wet, cracking sort of sound that would have rendered Ciel ill at the moment, had he not wisely turned his head away so as he did not have to watch.

"Hey – Hey! Watch the lean! The last thing I need is to have this damn nail punched further into my chest, if you don't mind." Ciel glanced over at them, seeing the man's legs dangling limply as Sebastian worked on his wrists.

"Oi, don't touch!" The man snapped when Sebastian reached to remove the nail in his chest. "I can quite well remove that one myself, if you don't mind."

"Well, I'm afraid I can't quite get you down gently if you leave it in." Sebastian cautioned. "How on earth did you wind up here, anyway?" The man gave a drawn-out sigh.

"It's a long story."

"I imagine. Now, since you won't let me remove the nail –"

"I'll deal with the pain. Just get me down."

"As you wish."

The moment Sebastian went around and plucked the other nail from his wrist, the man fell quite limply into the air for a second before somehow righting himself like a cat at the last moment, landing with his hands and knees beneath him in like.

"Ow." He complained, rocking back to sit upright. As he did so, he seemed to notice that there was still a nail in him, though it was far longer than Ciel had thought, and actually punctured him out both sides, with the back protuberance soaked in his blood. Looking down at the part of the nail – or whatever it happened to be, for Ciel could not quite recall ever seeing a nail so long – that still protruded from his front, Ciel watched in horror as he promptly, and without any sort of hesitation in the slightest reached up and grabbed the spike in his fist, drawing it out of his body at length as though he were drawing a sword from it's scabbard.

Someone screamed again in the distance.

"Oh, quiet, will you? I'm not dead, as you can see." The man said calmly, and Ciel noticed that his voice had a peculiar kind of inflection, one which made him seem exotic, though Ciel could not place where the accent, which was so subtle as to be hardly noticed by anyone without a sharp ear, had come from.

"Indeed, you aren't." Ciel said to the man, who's red eyes once more turned to him. In the path he had taken turning his head, Ciel noticed something else odd – his ears, which were distinctively pointed.

Ciel swallowed thickly. This was not painting a brilliant picture.

"So I am."

"But how?" Ciel couldn't help but ask, his curiosity getting the better of him. The sly smirk the man gave him in response chilled him, somehow.

"You ought to know, little boy." He glanced meaningfully at Sebastian then, and Ciel was left without any doubts as to what this man was –

And felt at the time both faint and intensely curious.

"Have no fear. You're far from my 'type'." He said, rising to his feet. Much more accustomed to Sebastian's grace, the Earl was surprised when the (demon?) staggered, wincing.

"Silver nails. Blessed, _Holy_ silver nails. Can't say they didn't know what they were doing." The man said, brushing himself off casually despite having been impaled moments prior. The crowd around him murmured uneasily, which he finally seemed to notice. Heaving a sigh, he turned his blood-soaked back to Ciel that he might address the masses.

"Rest assured, I am largely without grave injury." He said to no one in particular, but instead with a surprisingly soft, yet commanding tone, addressed the crowd on the whole.

"How? How are you alive?" One man asked with evident suspicion and fear in his voice. "And how ye be nailed up there to begin with?"

"I was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time." The man explained simply. "And they purposefully missed my vital organs and blood vessels, the bastards. They intended for me to die of infection, most likely; an event that would have occurred, had I attempted to free myself forcefully."

"But now that you are off..." Another man swallowed, his eyes pinned to the blood that had begun dripping down the pale man's sleeves.

"Ah, yes." He said, seeming to have just realized the state he was in. "As to that, I don't think I shall be hindered too much. I am a doctor myself, after all." This was news to Ciel's ears, particularly, and glancing over at Sebastian, he noticed that even his own demon wore an expression of surprise at the admittance.

"You're a doctor?" Ciel inquired. The pale man turned around to look at him then, a much softer sort of expression on his long, pallid face.

"Yes, in fact, I am, in a manner of speaking." He explained. "Though it is not only humans who's injuries I treat." He once more gave a meaningful glance at Sebastian, making Ciel understand. A demon doctor? Well, now he could say he'd seen it all.

"Come, then. I do suppose you have other questions for me, Phantomhive. In which case, I think it would be better that we did not discuss such things in public." The man said, turning and beginning to walk away with almost absurd nonchalance.

Then again, if he was a demon, Ciel could suppose the nonchalance wasn't so atypical.

"How do you know my name?"

"Easy. That Undertaker friend of yours is not only extremely useful for sourcing 'supernatural' worthy medicines, but is also quite chatty. He mentions you as his nephew, but I know that to be false. Still, he has an amazing fondness for your family line, and speaks of you and your –" He turned to watch Sebastian briefly. "Servant, quite frequently." With that, his eyes returned to a forward position, leading them on into a dim alleyway of kinds, one with back doors to shops and taverns littered all over the walls. He stopped at one in particular, which had a distinctive scent of food wafting from beneath it. Had his situation been different, Ciel probably would have felt his stomach rumble.

"You know the Undertaker?" Ciel asked incredulously.

"You will find, little Lord, that there are not many demons in London who do _not_ know him, by appearance if not name." With this, he opened up the door they had stopped in front of, and the smells of food being too great to handle this time, Ciel felt his gut quiver involuntarily.

"I presume you are hungry. Shall we?" The man, who's name Ciel still did not know, motioned politely for him to enter.

"But what of your clothes?" Ciel asked, looking the man over – only to discover that he had, somehow, either begotten or else concealed the blood that had soaked his clothes moments before.

"You really are a demon, aren't you?" Ciel asked flatly. He knew the answer, of course, but a second opinion never hurt.

"In a manner of speaking, yes." Was the man's cryptic reply. "The name is Alistar, by the by. No need for formalities on my end." Ciel eyed this Alistar suspiciously, interpreting his reply to mean, "I don't want to tell you my last name in case you try to find me again."

"Alright, Alistar." Ciel tested out the new name, finding that it fit the man well. "I believe we have a few things to discuss. With that said – shall we?"

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 **Ok, ok, so maybe it's a little odd, but I did try.**

 **Bram Stoker's _Dracula_ is a good book to reference here, since I was inspired by it to write this fic in the first place. That said, I can not promise to hold absolutely true to this style, since I've never written with this kind of prose before. All I can do is learn whilst I read, so do forgive any stylistic wishy-washing.**

 **Now, for my favorite english word:**

 **ASTERISKS!**

 ***Metric system:** _Despite being an American myself, I try to exercise use of the metric system for foreign travel purposes. (Plus authenticity). But for those who do not share my affinity:_

 _1 ½ meters= 4 ½ feet (4' 6")_

 _23 centimeters = approx. 9 inches._

 **Well, I hope you liked – and you know, just so the record shows, I do tend to be much quicker about updating when I have feedback. Just sayin'. :)**

 **Until next time, Aufwiedersehen!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to my reviewer for making this chapter happen :P You rock!**

 **Now, with that, let us see just what this Alistar knows about what's going on, shall we?**

 **It occurred to me that I completely forgot to mention which Universe this is in. Well, if the mention of the Campania is any indication, this is happening chiefly in the Manga-verse. However, I will probably mention things from the anime from time to time, as a measure of the nature of this fic.**

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 **CH II**

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Alistar lead Ciel and Sebastian inside a small pub – Ciel didn't even want to know how the demon was able to walk through the back door, since it was usually only regular customers and the like who were afforded such things. The pub was tiny, but warmly lit, with aged, red-wood walls and a distinctive scent of stale tabacco in the air beneath a heady scent of frying food – a favorite of drunkards. There were not many people around at present, but Ciel could tell that it was a popular place at the right time of day.

"Alright, you've got me in a corner. Ask away what you will, human." Alistar said in a nearly dismissive manner, looking entirely too comfortable sitting down. Those nails must have hurt him worse than he let on.

"I wouldn't say a corner," Ciel smirked. "But I do have you someplace convenient." Ciel drew from his coat a pile of photographs and documents he'd carried here for precisely this purpose. "I am sure you are aware of the series of crucifixions that occurred here just a few days ago?"

"Ah, yes. I do remember hearing about them." He conceded, pawing through the photos. "I went on an investigation of my own once I did, of course." Ciel gave him a strange look. "After all, I know as well as the next that summoning incantations on a dead body rarely mean good things."

"Reviving the dead and whatnot." Ciel filled in.

"Yes, precisely. Though as a doctor, I have my own reasons for searching the bodies."

"You – you searched the bodies? Without a warrant?" Ciel nearly shouted, completely incredulous.

"Hush, now –" Alistar shushed him with an outstretched hand. "And I did have a warrant as a medical practitioner, I'll have you know." The pale man said in a nearly offended tone.

Sebastian shifted beside the Earl, a sign he wished to speak. "Seems like a convenient thing to have these days." he said sarcastically. "In any event, since you reached the bodies before we did –"

"You wish to know what I've found?" Alistar cut off. It would have been rude, had Ciel not been accustomed to such affronts.

"Yes, that would be rather helpful."

"Very well, then." Alistar conceded, his eyes closing in a passive manner. When they opened again, he spoke. "I could find nothing particularly odd about them, aside from the sigil burned into their flesh. The only thing that could be remarked upon was a faint odour of sulphur – a thing which could hardly be considered surprising, given as the bodies were decaying. Additionally, since demons are often conjured with these rituals, rather than human souls, it's hardly worth a mention that there were faint traces of demon energy around the bodies. The only thing this confirms, in your case, is that these sigils are, in fact, effective. Maybe not to their intended purpose, but effective nonetheless."

"I see," Ciel replied, resting his gloved hand on his chin, pondering. "But what purpose would bringing back the dead have? From what I can guess, even if a person's soul does come back, I doubt it would be in one piece." Alistar regarded the young lord in a sort of muted surprise, a smirk coming onto his long, pale face.

"That you are," Alistar affirmed, a bit gleefully. "Once a soul has passed on, it can not come back through whichever gate it might've gone through without suffering a most greuling sort of torment. Human souls reincarnate, see – ripping a soul from it's place in it's stage of reincarnation causes the soul to start all over again once, and if, it returns." Alistar explained far too casually for Ciel to assume a demon ought, if the expression of mild alarm on Sebastian's face was any indication. "Oh? Had you not explained his circumstances to him yet?" Alistar addressed Sebastian's concerned expression. The demon frowned.

"No, I quite told him the fate which awaited him upon signing a contract with me. However, I am of the mind that there are things he is better not knowing – for the sake of his sanity." Sebastian glanced at Ciel then, a cautious sort of expression on his face.

"You fear far too much, brother." _Brother?_ "I am as certain as the air is stagnant that he would be able to handle the truth. Not my fault you ilk are so fond of telling lies and half-truths."

"Are you not the same? You're a demon, aren't you?" Ciel said suddenly, almost as if defending his butler.

" I live here in the human world for a good reason. Gehenna's gates are closed to me – I was banished from there, and ne'er shall I be able to go back." Alistar said, fiddling with a wine glass nearby him. Ciel's brows furrowed, not quite understanding. Sebastian sighed in a dramatic fashion.

"It is one of many names for the world I come from," He explained, his frown deepening.

"I see." Ciel turned back to Alistar, but was interrupted before he could inquire anything.

"How, exactly, did you manage to be _banished_?" Sebastian asked the other demon incredulously. Alistar smiled softly, though a bitter expression crossed his face.

"I am not like the others." He said simply. "A white, winged demon? How well do you suppose that went on?" Sebastian's expression became more understanding. "Furthermore, I can not control my appearance as other demons can. I can conceal my wings, and remotely change a few other things; but I can do nothing to alter my colour, and further can not completely disguise other features." He indicated with his hand to his pointed ears. "This is not something I can control, no matter the training I receive. I am far older than many demons, yet still I can not handle this seemingly simple task – not for lack of want, but because my unusual biology simply does not permit me to do so." Alistar explained, looking to Sebastian as if imploring silently for him to believe him. It was such a peculiar expression, and the occurrence of the conversation so oddly ordinary for what they were, that Ciel was nearly taken aback. "Still," Alistar continued. "Because of this small slight, I have never been regarded as...particularly valuable, in the eyes of those to whom it matters." A shadow of something that looked almost like sadness passed across the demon's vision, and again Ciel, watching on, was struck by the display. Truly, he hadn't been lying when he said he was not like other demons, for Ciel could never recall seeing his own servant display such features; then again, he was just one demon. "I also am not possessing of a mindset that was deduced as being constructive. So, I was sent here, and the gate closed and locked forever behind me." Sebastian looked...sympathetic? "I see." The butler said, head nodding in understanding.

"But that is hardly of interest to yourselves." Alistar, seeming to realise he'd strayed off topic, brought it back on. "Forgive me. I am normally not so vocal; I can't say what's become of me. Perhaps that lunatic reaper has given me his wagging tongue without my awareness."

"Think nothing of it." Ciel reassured, somehow moved to feel pity for the creature. "Now, have you any ideas of who might be behind this? After all, you were found in the same sort of position."

"Ah, but mine was a coincidental accident. I am confident it was merely the local church following with the trend, that I might disappear with the other bodies when I'd died." He said, fiddling once more with the glass, though Ciel could not recall when he'd stopped.

"And how, exactly, did you wind up on that cross?" Ciel asked, genuinely curious besides.

"Ah, yes – I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. See, though I need not to sleep, I find it most useful for storing up energy I otherwise have no need of using at the time. In order that I might accomplish this, I rather mistakenly fell asleep beneath a church pew." Alistar smiled. "And should you be unaware of it, it is terribly unwise to wake a sleeping demon, for often a demon's facade will fade once they are asleep – which is why so few dare to try it, in this realm especially."

"So why did you?"

"Generally I can get away with it, when the odd human finds me resting. After all, I have feathered wings, which are just as pale as I am."

"They mistake you for an angel. How ironic." The butler remarked.

"Indeed." He smiled in a macabre fashion, flashing terrible fangs, which also were unhidden, to the young Earl. "But it has saved my skin a few times."

"Why, then, didn't it work this time?" Alistar's smile only widened mischievously.

"Alas, we all wake up in a foul mood sometimes, do we not?" Ciel's face went wan when he caught onto the demon's meaning.

"Did you...?"

"No. Just as you are hardly the type I'd enjoy eating, neither were any of them. I had no sensible reason to kill them, either. After all, they could do no real harm to me – or, so it was until they put those bloody nails in me." He examined his wrist with a frown then. Ciel daren't ask what he did prefer, only grateful for the time he wasn't on the menu.

They finished up the questions with a few more, though at that point Ciel knew it was pointless to keep asking. Clearly he wasn't of much help to the investigation, though he was certainly an interesting character besides.

"Well, if there's nothing more you can tell us," Ciel announced, standing. His rump was quite stiff, and the pub mostly empty, signalling that he'd been there far longer than he'd of intended. "I am afraid I have other things to attend." Alistar nodded, standing up with him. The action must have pained him, for he grimaced but only for a second, and his weight on his left leg faltered, causing him to stagger upright.

"Are you quite able to make it back on your own? To wherever it is that you live?" Ciel asked, more out of courtesy than concern, for he knew that demons were, generally, quite adept at healing themselves.

"Ordinarily, I would say yes – however," He clutched his side suddenly, letting out a weak hiss at some pain found there. "I don't think I shall be going back up the mountain for a while yet."

"Up the mountain?" Ciel parroted.

"Yes – see, my home, if you will, was torn apart long ago." He explained, still holding onto the stitch in his side. "I live in the forests some ways from here, up in the highlands. I came down as a...matter of necessity." He glanced between Ciel and Sebastian, and the younger got the sense that his butler understood better than he did, which was all well, since Ciel would much rather not dwell upon such thoughts.

"You live in the forest?" Sebastian inquired as if surprised.

"I don't much fancy company. I've been alone for most my life, and am not well-to-do in human crowds, for though I have lived among humans for centuries now, I am never quite sure how they will respond to me, what with my appearance being what it is." He looked at Ciel. "And what with the way those pesty pastors treated me, I am sure you would understand my caution." Ciel nodded, understanding.

"I see." He stood there a moment, a thought catching him off his wit. Sebastian looked down at him with concern after a moment.

"My Lord?"

"I am likely to regret this..." Ciel muttered, sighing. The demon before them may prove useful in other ways, he told himself. A doctor that was a demon? How often did one come upon that? And since he was always becoming ill, and Sebastian was able to learn things the way he did...

"You would, should you desire it, be welcome to come home with us." He offered. "at least until which time your wounds are healed." Sebastian immediately turned an alarmed and incredulous gaze upon his master, a tinge of ire laden within his chestnut coloured gaze.

"You will say nothing of it." Ciel directed his words to his butler with only his voice, knowing that the demon would likely not appreciate having to share his territory.

"But, young –"

"What did I just say?" Ciel turned on him with an authoritative tone, and the black-clad demon shut right up with an annoyed click of his teeth, his jaw setting hard in wishful defiance.

"Flattered as I am that a human would offer to keep house with an untamed demon," Alistar said with a strange kind of smirk. "I don't believe your butler would be too keen on the idea. Though I'm far from want to hurt you, it is in the nature of our kind to be a bit on the bad side." That strange accent of his, so subtle, became a fraction thicker as he said this.

"You have no idea how well I know what you mean." Ciel glanced at his brooding – for really, there was no other way to describe the look upon his brow just then – servant from the corner of his eye.

A long pause, thick with heavy thoughts and scales of decision making, ensued. "Alright, I'll be with you, as I sense some other purpose behind inviting me besides British hospitality," Alistar said, coming to stand beside the Earl smoothly. "However, I make one request." Butler and Earl exchanged wary glances.

"And what might that be?"

"That I am permitted to sleep, depending on the length of my stay, at some time. It need not be every day, should you wish it, but at least once every so often I need a full day in which I am permitted to rest undisturbed." Ciel smiled, glad in a way it wasn't anything more grave.

"That should work just fine." He said, gathering his coat about him. "Now then, let us be off."

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Once Alistar came into the mansion, Ciel had the mind that the demon quite regretted it, for he had been not moments through the threshold than the Phantomhive servants were upon him as a swarm of bees about honey.

"Who's this?" Finnian asked, disregarding their guest's personal space as he was often apt to do. Ciel could not conceal his amusement when the demon reeled from the childish boy, his expression entirely uncertain for a moment. He regained his composure swiftly, however, and addressed the hovering servants with Sebastian-worthy ease.

"My name is Alistar. I am, for the time, seeking a...refuge, of sorts, within the Phantomhive home. I was injured in an accident, see, and am unable to take my journey home at present, so your Lord kindly offered to let me stay until which time I am more physically capable. This should not take long – no more than a business week, at most, depending on the resources available to me." Alistar made a sidelong glance at Ciel. "But I do hope that you shall treat me kindly in my stay, that I might reciprocate the actions." Ciel did not particularly like the way he said that last bit, but had faith his servants would be of no trouble there.

"Of course, Sir! We always try to be courteous to guests." Finnian, typically oblivious to the undercurrent in the former statement, encouraged. Baldroy followed his lead with a particularly charming smile.

"I promise ya, you'll be as comfortable as ya can be while yer here." Alistar smiled in a strangely genuine way at them, bowing politely.

"Thank you for your kindness. Now, if it is not of too much trouble," Alistar turned an imploring gaze to Sebastian. "Might I be able to get some kind of bandaging for my wounds? They are not bleeding any more, but I fear they will reopen if I move about much more."

"Of course. Come with me." Sebastian assented, leading the other demon up the stairs. Ciel watched with a curious and somewhat concerned expression when Alistar seemed to hesitate at the foot of them, peering up at the top as though the task of climbing them would be daunting.

"Coming?" Sebastian uttered, his tone again too familiar for Ciel's liking.

"Yes. Quite." Alistar began up the steps, and as he did so Ciel got an impression as to why he might have been hesitating, for he had a noticeable limp ascending the stairs, and as a result did so in a far slower fashion than the young Lord was certain he was generally able when in good condition.

"Poor fellow. Looks like he was beat up good, whatever happened to 'im." Baldroy remarked, standing beside his master. "I sure hope he heals up okay. Five days? That's 'ow long a business week is – you sure he'll be okay in that time?"

"Well, he did say he was a doctor." Ciel replied casually. From his periphery, he seen Mey-rin bloom red.

"Doctor?" She inquired, he voice betraying her obvious attraction to their new guest.

"You three are to leave him alone until he recovers. Understood?" Ciel ordered, ascending the stairs as well.

"Yes, Sir!" Came the combined voices.

"Good. Now go back to doing your jobs."

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"My. I suppose you weren't kidding when you said they knew what they were doing. I don't believe I've ever seen a human wound a demon quite as you are." Sebastian remarked as he lead Alistar to a guest room, bandages in hand.

"Clearly you've not had many encounters with the Vatican."

"The Vatican?"

"Yes. Persistent bastards. They've gotten quite serious about combatting demons." Alistar began conversationally, but now his voice grew graver. "The humans are getting smart. They're learning more quickly than even I anticipated how to go about wounding, or even killing, demons such as us."

"Killing?" Sebastian inquired, and it didn't take him saying so for Alistar to know he didn't take him seriously. "I've never heard of a human being able to kill a demon of our calibre. Not on their own."

"No. Not alone." Alistar amended, a bit put off that he was being mocked. "That's where they've gotten smart about it. One ant is hardly worth any concern to a viper." Alistar said. "But a whole swarm of them can kill even the most stubborn of serpents." Sebastian's light mood faltered just a moment as the words sunk into him. Continuing on in a much less cheery silence, the butler halted before a pale whitish door.

"Your room, Sir."

"I already told you to drop the formalities. They make me dreadfully uneasy." Sebastian regarded their guest with mild surprise.

"And why is that, if I may ask?" Silence met him in reply.

"Assist me with the bandages, and perhaps you shall surmise that for yourself." Genuine surprise adorned the butler's face as he approached a bit warily. Injured demons were just like injured animals, after all. He might have been unusually willing to bear his wounds to himself, Sebastian thought, but that did not make him any more predictable – nor any less dangerous, should he feel the slightest bit threatened by Sebastian's presence at any point during the procedure.

"Very well." Sebastian knelt before their guest, who's discomfort was apparent, but not unexpected. Demons like them typically kept to themselves, for the most part, and like the felines the butler so adored, often went out on their own when in pain or dying. It was a difficult instinct to suppress – he ought to know – but to see this level of trust, even between siblings as they were, was unusual to him.

"I shall undo my own dressings. Perhaps a few of your questions might be answered then." Sebastian leaned back on his haunches, curious and also concerned. What precisely did he mean by that?

Alistar gathered the gold buttons of his coat, undoing them one by one. The swirling golden patterns trailing the edges of his garment glistened in the shallow candle-light, the white fabric throwing grey shadows as it fell from his lean shoulders. His under-shirt was a classic white, but also translucent, reflecting the pale, but still somehow warm colours of his skin through the thin material. It was not until this piece, thinly separating his bare skin from the demon's sight, was removed, did Sebastian come to understand what Alistar had meant.

Littering his skin were most unusual things to happen upon a demon's skin, for they often healed so quickly...those wounds must have been agonizing, Sebastian thought, gazing upon the myriad of light shadows that bounced from the other's skin, revealing scars from repeated lacerations. There were maybe a handful adorning his chest and abdomen – but as the demon turned to place his coat further back on the bed, he revealed his back to the light, whereupon Sebastian noticed more, deeper scars, which had become so overlapping that they seemed to weave a pattern upon the other demon's back.

"What happened to you?" Sebastian asked, out of both awe and pity. He'd seen demons with scars – he had some of his own, to be frank – but none like that.

"Our father was displeased with me." Alistar said simply. "I was no son to him. Not worthy of being a Prince, he instead demand I serve those who were." Sebastian did not miss the bitterness in his voice, and could not blame him just then. "They were not always so kind to me. Demons are such hypocrites." Sebastian was taken aback as his guest said this, not because it wasn't true, but because it was one of those truths very few dared to call out on. "They claim to hate humans, yet they are just like them." Feeling moderately stung, the butler wisely kept his comments to himself. This was no time for his pride to be taking a front seat.

"I can not say I completely agree." Sebastian uttered simply. "Though I suppose if we weren't, we would not be able to blend in so well." He admitted begrudgingly.

"Many other demons share your opinion – and I do not blame you for that." Alistar said coolly, gazing out the window. "You are raised with the thought that humans are less than you are." Sebastian frowned, not sure how much he was enjoying this conversation. "But...I suppose that is largely why I was banished from Gehenna. From Hell." Alistar paused, his expression becoming something in the way of saddened, though it was a sobering kind of sorrow. "Because unlike you, I do not share that frame of mind."

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 **WHOO! Another chapter done! Again, THANK YOU to my reviewer for making this happen. :)**

 **Also, just to note, because it is unlikely you would find this information on your own:**

 **The name "Alistar" is a variant of, of course, "Alester" or "Alistair"; consequently, it has the same meaning. (lit. "Defender of the people") It is also a fun play on words, because as it happens, there's a kind of demon known as an "Alastor", a demon of vengeance and justice, and one which reconciles people who are at odds when it is summoned. Not very scary sounding, is it? The term alastor was also once used as an insult the way "bastard" is today.**

" **You little alastor!"**

 **SO yes. Do bear that in mind as we continue. :)**

 **Once again, I must say, things get updated faster if I get feedback. ;P Until next time, Aufweidersehen!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Woohoo! Thanks again to my reviewer. You're awesome!**

 **This chapter gets a little intricate, so might want to read carefully, or you're liable to miss something.**

 **Just so the record shows, I study demonology, so there are going to be heavy influences from that in here, as well as, of course, references to Bram Stoker's _Dracula_ – the very novel that inspired this piece in the first place. **

**But, how did a book about a psychotic vampire bring you to Black Butler, you may ask? Because, as it happens, Sebastian has a lot in common with that psychotic vampire.**

 ***person reading this* "is that foreshadowing? *excited gasp*"**

 ***me* "Yes, yes that is. You're welcome."**

 **Moving on!**

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 **CH III**

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Ciel, being dressed down for bed, stared absently at his walls, heavy thoughts weighing upon his tiny, frail shoulders regarding his new case.

"Is something the matter, young master?" Sebastian asked casually as he unbuttoned the boy's shirt.

"Actually, there is something that quite interests me. It's something Alistar said to you," Sebastian turned curious eyes to his master, though Ciel did not miss the wariness buried beneath his reddish irises. Ciel knew his butler well enough to know he would be reluctant to answer him truthfully, but it was one of the few thoughts he could put safely into words right now, and knew that they would not be taken as a show of weak sympathy.

"He called you his brother, earlier." Ciel inquired, his butler smirking as he did so, as if expecting this. "What exactly did he mean by that?"

"He meant it as literally as the word might imply." Sebastian answered simply, rising to place Ciel's clothes on a chair behind him as he gathered his night clothes. Ciel was a bit taken aback by his butler's apt response, nearly certain he would not be willing to divulge something so personal, for Sebastian was by nature a very reserved individual.

"He's literally your brother?" Ciel asked incredulously.

"Yes...and no." Ciel's thin brow perked up at this. Smirking in amusement, Sebastian continued without a hitch, dressing his master as he did so.

"The concept of siblings as humans understand it is very rare among demonkind. It is not unusual, after all, for demons to have dozens of siblings of various personal relation – for example, I rather suspect Alistar is technically my half-brother, as we do share a sire, but likely have different mothers."

"So there's just too many siblings for you to be attached to them all?"

"Something like that, yes." Sebastian smiled in a nearly mischievous fashion. "Demons are not generally taught to value their siblings – particularly not those of the same sex."

"Rivalry and all that." Ciel filled in, nodding in understanding.

"Yes, something to that effect. The only times I have seen where demons have a close bond to each other as siblings is in instances where they were born as identical twins, which are no more common in demonkind than humankind." Sebastian explained casually. "And even then, the bond is inherently different, since demons do not have human emotions."

"Hm. I could see that." Ciel remarked as Sebastian tucked him in.

"Anything else?" Sebastian inquired, leaning over his master with candle-holder in hand.

"Yes," Ciel's brows furrowed as he thought of how to phrase his question. "Alistar...he said himself he is not a typical example of demonkind. I'm interested to know how, for future reference."

"Future reference?"

"I doubt he's the only demon out there." Ciel said matter of factly. "And as we have coincidently run into a reaper, and now a demon..."

"You want to know how to protect yourself, should you find me unavailable." The smirk tugging at his butler's lips made Ciel uncomfortable, but he refused to show it.

"Something to that effect. I need to know what to look for in case I am ever caught alone. Reapers are relatively easy, since they all have the same eye colour. But seeing you and Alistar, it occurred to me that you are the only reference for identifying demons I have." He looked Sebastian in the eye daringly. "And it is quite obvious that you are not the most typical example either."

"That's true, unfortunately. Demons are as varied in their personalities as humans." Sebastian's expression turned remotely bitter for a fraction of a moment as he recalled Alistar's words.

" _What hypocrites demons are. They claim to hate humans, yet they're exactly like them."_

"Sebastian?" Ciel inquired, fearful he might of offended his butler by mistake.

"It's nothing, my lord." He reassured. "Only thinking of a peculiar thing our guest said." As much as it pained him to admit it, Sebastian was beginning to see merit in his words. "But it need not concern you. Now, you have a busy schedule tomorrow, so I advise resting for now." Sebastian bowed. "Goodnight, young master."

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Ciel rose the next morning, coming downstairs as soon as he was awake, that he might gift his servants with a daily task. But upon coming to the head of the stairs in the foyer, a peculiar sight gave him ready pause, for at the foot of the stairs was their guest, Alistar, conversing quite animately with Finnian, of all people.

"Whoa! That's cool!" Finnian exclaimed, clearly excited by something. This unto itself wasn't odd – what was, however, was the soft-ish expression on their demon guest's face, a startlingly gentle smile in place as he spoke in low notes to the boyish servant.

"Indeed." Here Alistar smiled wider, the expression entirely unlike what he'd seen on Sebastian. Sebastian was an excellent fake when he needed to be, but this...either Alistar was an even better fake than Sebastian, or he was genuinely... _happy_ , to be talking to Finny.

 _'A demon? Happy?'_

"I see you're getting on with the servants well enough." Ciel remarked, announcing his presence. Alistar turned to him with knowing eyes, having been aware he was there probably long before he'd actually gotten where he was standing. Finny looked far less knowledgable, turning to his young lord with a sheepish smile as he stood to attention.

"Our guest is really amazing, young master!" Finnian announced excitedly. "He's a doctor, you know, and has apparently been working on treating people who've become sick with pox*!"

"Why on earth would someone like you become a doctor, anyway?" Ciel asked shamelessly, quite confusing Finny with the suddenness of the question. Alistar only smiled in that oddly gentle way.

"I do not hold the same opinions as others like me when it comes to human kind." Alistar explained, and a weird sort of analogy came into his mind then; if Sebastian's voice could be attributed to dark satin, as he often did in his own mind, then Alistar's, suitably, would be like pastel silk. Smooth but light, like a river's white beds. "I am of the mind that they are quite a bit more necessary than many of my ilk might assume. After all, without you, there is no me." Ciel swallowed thickly at the implication, far too aware of his position in relationship to their kind. "However, that's not quite all of it." A nearly sombre expression crossed the pale demon's face as he gazed down at his white and gold suit. "See, this outfit, it is special to me. A human gave me this, as a show of gratitude to me." He smiled again in a seemingly genuine way. "I have never since forgotten the token."

"That person...were they...?" Ciel began, though Alistar seemed to understand.

"Yes, sadly, that person is no more." He touched his stomach in a way that would have been seen as casual to anyone else, but which had a very distinctive meaning to the Earl.

"Aw, you lost someone?" Finnian sympathized.

"Yes. They meant quite a bit to me as well. More than I am sure they ought to have." Alistar's voice fell just above a whisper towards the end, though in the easy quiet of the mansion, Ciel still heard him.

"I see. I'm sorry for your loss, if it helps."

"Thank you, Finnian – but I am afraid that this person died quite a while ago. The style of dress I hold should be evidence of that." The meaning flew over the duller servant's head, but Ciel understood, and once more felt a spot of pity for the creature.

"I see." The Earl remarked pityingly, eyeing the creature in like. He was pretty sure demons could not feel love – at least, he'd surmised that Sebastian couldn't – but as he'd never met another demon, he could hardly call himself an expert.

"Finny," Ciel began. "I need you to prepare the garden today. A minor guest will be arriving this evening, and I don't intend on letting him in my house."

"Whyever not, m'lord?" Ciel nearly cringed, not caring to explain.

"Let's just say that he's made a nuisance of himself here before. Now, do as I've asked." Finny nodded in understanding, moving along to do his chore. Now that they were alone, Ciel turned his attention to Alistar, sensing Sebastian approaching behind him as well. Perfect.

"I hope you don't mind, I am a nobleman and all. Having multiple guests is, unfortunately, one of my own chores to handle." Alistar only chuckled lightly.

"I understand quite well." He said. "Now the only question is if I will be required to meet this guest of yours."

"I'll try to keep him preoccupied – however..." Ciel trailed off. Knowing that romantically obsessed idiot...

"I understand. I would, then, prefer to meet him once he arrives, if I am doomed to do so anyway."

"Doomed...honestly, for once that might be the perfect word for it."

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Sebastian assisted their flamboyant guest from his carriage, not any gladder to see him than his master might be, though he had to admit that the man could be amusing at times.

"Ah, it never fails to awe me when I see the Phantomhive manor in all it's splendour!" said one Aleister Chambers as he exited his ride.

"Yes, it is a bit magnificent." Sebastian tediously agreed. "Now, I should tell you that the young master has another guest in his presence this evening as well."

"Oh? More faces to add to the count? Why I'm hardly deterred." _'I never thought you would be'_ the demon mentally grumbled.

"Also, we will be dining outdoors this evening, per my master's wishes."

"Eh? But it's the middle of October! We'll freeze!"

"With all due respect, I believe that tonight's dinner will be quite enough to keep you warm for a while."

"Eh?"

Sebastian lead the Viscount through the gardens, where supper had been set up already. The butler picked up the duty of explaining the evening meal, which was a form of pheasant that had been broiled and stuffed with an array of spices, per the eastern European tradition, served with some sort of vegetable stew that had been crafted with complimentary spice. Once he had listed all that there was to be had, he turned his attention to Alistar, who sat nearer the side of Aleister (how they had wound up with guests of such similar names, he did not know) with the viscount sitting at the opposite end of the table, per social custom as the star guest.

"Druitt," Ciel began, beating Sebastian to the punch. "This is my other guest for the evening, Alistar..." Ciel frowned once he realized he still didn't know his surname.

"That's Reginald. Alistar Reginald." Said man made a courteous bow, as much as he was able while seated.

"Oh? How interesting that our names would be so much alike. My official name is Aleister Chambers, but I am the viscount of Druitt, hence the title."

"I see." Alistar smirked in a strangely sly manner which Ciel wouldn't even pretend to understand.

Ciel took it upon himself to delve into the real reason he'd summoned the viscount all the way here once the pleasantries had been abated. "You have a medical license, do you not, Druitt?" The man in question seemed quite taken aback by the abrupt shift in the direction of things.

"Why, yes, I do. Why? Are you unwell?" Sensing a spiel, Ciel made haste to cut him off.

"I'm quite fine, thank you." Ciel cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. "As it would happen, Alistar is a doctor also. He went to the liberty of examining the bodies in a recent case we are working on –"

"Ah, you mean the one regarding all those crucified bodies." Ciel did a double-take, not sure how he knew about it. "I was also called to investigate the case. After the incident aboard the Campania," Ciel grimaced internally, not at all fond of the memory. "Scotland Yard decided that I was probably the best they could use for figuring this out." Ciel now grimaced externally, both because he found it utterly pathetic that Chambers was the best the Yard could do, as well as the new knowledge that the Yard was even working on it at all. "So the Yard is investigating this."

"Yes...well, they were." Ciel came to upright attention at this. "That was, until the bodies began to move."

"Move?" Ciel questioned, feeling uneasy about the notion.

"No one can confirm to have seen them do so, but the morgue the bodies are being held in is becoming a very eerie place to be, so I've heard."

"Explain." Ciel demanded simply, prompting Aleister to continue.

"You see, the tables the bodies are put on – wherever the bodies are left, they never stay in the same place." the Earl exchanged a glance with Sebastian, who was listening intently. Alistar, as well, had his head propped on folded hands as he listened. "They never move very far, but the morgue is locked down tight at night to keep thieves and whatnot out of it. They've taken it so far as to station guards around all the doors; but no matter what they do, the bodies still move. It's almost..."

"Almost as if they're moving about on their own." Ciel surmised. "Reanimated corpses..." He spared Sebastian a meaningful look. The butler merely nodded, heading inside to handle the unspoken matter.

"As I said," Alistar spoke up for the first time that evening, addressing Ciel. "There's something fishy happening here. First, the bodies are crucified. This, unto itself, is a pretty symbolic action." He turned to Aleister, who nodded. "Then, their throats and wrists are slit while they're still alive. That, too, has religious symbolism, among other things." He looked back at Ciel now. "Then, thirdly, the bodies are branded with a sigil. A summoning seal."

"Summoning? To call what?" Aleister, otherwise out of the loop, asked incredulously.

"Ideally, to summon a person's soul; to call it back to their body. However, those seals are indiscriminate." Alistar explained. "Any soul could be called into those bodies, not just the one that belongs there. It's necromancy at an average, mortal level, if ever there was any." Alistar said, making Ciel huff quietly at the subtle air of superiority that clung to the statement. "But then, humans just don't have the energy requirements most the time to use more specific seals. Not to mention that they would have to be taught how to use them, and that unto itself can take far longer than one human's lifespan." Alistar justified, making the distraught Earl feel a little better. "But..." His tone became more serious. "There's a problem there unto itself. The seals they used; they can be found in almost any Grimoire – but not of the human variety." It was Alistar's turn to share a meaningful look with the young lord.

"My, my, you certainly seem to know your cultism." Aleister remarked. Rather than being creeped out, as Ciel might have expected, the viscount seemed... _excited_ , in a word. _'why am I not surprised by that...'_

"Yes, in a manner of speaking, I do." Alistar stated as if it was meant to be common knowledge, making Ciel quirk a brow at him. "Which leads me to my next point. The type of Grimoire that that spell is found in – I happen to know someone who has one." Sebastian, just then returning, had a rather disconcerted expression, both confused and uncomfortable about the direction that the conversation at the table had taken in his absence.

"You – you mean you know how to undo the seal?" Ciel asked incredulously. Alistar only shook his head morosely.

"I am afraid that I, personally, don't. Even if I did, I couldn't remove the spell. It might be rudimentary necromancy, but those sigils are also a type of curse. And the only person who can remove a curse is the one who put it there. That's just the rules of these things." He shrugged. Ciel frowned, upset now that he'd made a full circle.

"That still doesn't explain how we stop this." Ciel murmured, frown deepening into a scowl.

Just then, there was a shrill sort of noise that happened just behind his butler, making Ciel jump nearly out of his knickers, but somehow not phasing the demon at all.

"Ah, yes. I nearly forgot." Sebastian piped up in a strangely sheepish fashion. "I came back to tell you that you had other guests." As soon as he'd finished his sentence, a little girl, aged maybe four, came careening around Sebastian's thigh, chasing a moth with oblivious joy. All of a sudden quite confused, Ciel stood abruptly, more than a little alarmed that there were guests showing up now, of all times, completely unannounced.

"Huh?" Aleister mumbled, rising as well, though his expression was one Ciel had never seen him wear before – a mixture of shock, excitement, and buried somewhere beneath his slowly creasing brow line, there was a shadow of fear in his eyes.

"Anna?" He exclaimed in sheer bewilderment. "What on earth are _you_ doing here, of all places?" Ciel turned sharply to Aleister, his expression demanding an explanation.

"You know her?"

"Why yes, she's my niece." Aleister still wore the same, mildly concerned expression, though the fear in his eyes had deepened considerably. It made Ciel wonder, suddenly, why he was so spooked.

"Papa is here to see Uncle!" The little girl said, running avidly up to Aleister.

"Wait, you have a brother?" Ciel asked, mind catching up to itself. Since when did the viscount have a sibling?

"In a manner of speaking, yes." Ciel ragarded Aleister warily then, for his tone of voice matched his shadowy expression just then. "He's technically my adopted brother, but..."

"Hey, Uncle Aleister?" He turned down to the little Anna, who's expression was quite the opposite of her Uncles, brimming with childish excitement.

"Yes?"

"Papa said to me, to tell you, that you are _not_ in trouble." She said it quite seriously, despite her excitement. "He also says that you're a pain in his butt, and that you should stay home more." She said with the glee of a child who knew they were telling something they shouldn't. Now looking quite discontent, Aleister asked, "And where, exactly, is your Papa?" She pointed behind Sebastian, and, sure enough, a slender man dressed in a black suit stepped out from behind him. As he came closer, Ciel had to marvel at the fact he was nearly Sebastian's height, as well as the fact that, despite claiming to be adopted, the man looked stunningly alike to Aleister. His long, mussy hair was a golden brown, rather than blonde, but held the same style. Furthermore, though his face was a tad longer, they had pretty much the same facial structures. There was, however, one very different trait on the man, aside from his height, and it was perhaps his most striking feature, particularly as he wore it openly; a long set of paralell scars on his face, both starting at his brow and one crossing over his right eye. The longer of the two, the one which marked his eye, ended at the bridge of his nose, giving him a very menacing appearance all on his own, though the scowl he wore did nothing to help that image.

"Oh, hello there, brother." Aleister said nervously, backing away a bit as if unconsciously trying to put distance between them.

"Aleister." The other one said in flat, monotonous voice which reminded Ciel strangely of that ridiculous Abberline detective at the Yard.

"Um...Do excuse me for a moment, Earl." Aleister bowed in apology. "It would seem I need to have a _talk_ with my brother." The tension between them made obvious, Ciel decided it best to let them be.

"Fine. I give you thirty minutes, or else you're both leaving." The Earl said moodily, not at all liking having random strangers intrude upon his home.

"Hello there, mister." Ciel's attention was drawn away from Aleister as he wandered away with his apparent sibling to that of his niece, left behind. She was addressing Alistar now, giving him a thorough look-over. "Mister, why is your hair white if you're not old?" She asked innocently. Uncertain how an unfamilar demon might react to a human child, Ciel watched Alistar carefully for a negative reaction as he otherwise gazed back at her impassively. After a moment, he seemed to slip into character, so to speak, a gentle expression adorning his face.

"Well, for the same reason my eyes are always reddish." He replied. "Because I've got no colour. Not in my hair, my eyes, or even my fingernails." He raised his hands to show her his long, pale nails as evidence. She looked confused.

"But how can you not have any colour?" She asked, face scrunching up in thought. Alistar looked up, thinking.

"Hm...I guess one way to say it is that God forgot to colour me in." He said with the same gentle smile Ciel had seen him use on Finnian earlier. "Guess that means I'm pretty special, huh?" Her confusion gave way, and she seemed, as only a child might, to accept his answer.

"Yup!" She agreed exuberantly, bouncing on her heels with a beaming smile on her face. Ciel had to take it all in for a moment. There she was, a four year old child, conversing casually with a demon that, from his knowledge, was also from Hell. _And both of them were smiling._

"Hey, mister?"

"Hm?"

"Why do you think God forgot you?" Ciel couldn't resist a wince at the question, no matter how innocent it's intent. Sebastian, beside him, also appeared to cringe a little at it. But Alistar, being of a surprisingly good nature about it, merely looked skywards again, though his face was a bit more serious than before.

"Hm...That's a good question." He replied uncertainly. "Actually, it's one I've thought about before. But I can't say I'll ever know. Even if I were to get up to the gates and ask Him myself, I don't think He'd tell me."

"But why not?"

"Well, you can't expect Him to have time for everyone who comes up there asking questions, can you? He's a very busy man, you know." Alistar answered in a manner that would have befitted a Priest. It made Ciel both awed and ever more curious about this pale demon. "Besides which, I am just fine being the way I am."

"You mean you don't wanna be coloured in?" Anna asked in disbelief.

"Nope. I'm okay being a snowflake." She laughed at his crude joke, and he chuckled alongside her.

"You're good with children, too." Aleister, having returned some minutes ago, finally spoke up from just behind the Earl, again making him jump indecently. "Are you a father or something?"

"Uncle! Uncle!" Anna bounced up to the viscount excitedly. "The mister over there says he has no colour! No colour! Isn't that weird?"

"Anna," He said in a mockingly warning tone. "That's not very nice to say."

"Sorry." She said unapologetically, still bouncing. Aleister looked at Alistar critically for a moment, realization slowly dawning on him.

"My, it appears she's right. You certainly don't have any colour on you." He remarked, just noticing. Ciel nearly face-palmed. The viscount then suddenly grew very animated. "Wait, does that make you – no, no, they're too rare." He shuffled quickly over to Alistar, who remained passive as Chambers scrutinized him more closely. "I hate to ask, but are you...?"

"Albino? Yes." A small smirk tugged at his lips when Aleister grew more excited. "Oh! I know I've heard that humans can be albino, but I never thought I'd meet one!"

"Well..."

"Oh, but wait..." Aleister interrupted, pondering something. "I think I read once that albino's are blind, aren't they?" Alistar seemed taken aback by this before a small, sad smile graced his face.

"Yes, that's somewhat true." He admitted quietly, drawing all eyes to him. "To be honest, I myself don't actually see very well. Glasses are of no help to me, either." He said. "I can see movement well, and can see blurry shapes; but my depth perception is terribly wretched, and it rather means that I tend to run into things that aren't on a flat surface. Such is why climbing up the mountain I live on takes a better physical integrity than that which I possess right now to achieve." He scratched his neck sheepishly. "I'm also pretty much completely blind in the dark, quite unlike others like me. I don't see colours the way even my kin do; I've no human concept of the colour green, for instance. It's just not something my eyes see the way yours do." Ciel took in the information with a huff. A night-blind demon? Colour blind, too. How much stranger did this creature get?

"Then how ever are you a doctor, with vision like that?" Aleister asked incredulously. Alistar smiled softly, pointing to his rather pointed ears.

"My hearing more than makes up for my lack of proper vision, even in the dark." He explained. "I can also discern many more scents than average for even those of my own kind." Ciel consciously recognized the difference in the meaning of that to him versus Aleister. "And I certainly have much more sensitive sense of touch and texture. Maybe that's why I'm such a picky eater." Ciel resisted a cringe, instead opting to frown at the unfortunate implication.

"And to answer your earlier question, yes, I am a father, in a sense." This took Ciel and the listening Sebastian off guard. "Well, in the sense that I have raised, and am raising, children. None of them are mine, not really." His face was melancholic as he said this, as if he were want to have his own. "But my...er, partner, and I," He paused midway to look for a word, continuing on. "We have a sort of...refuge, I suppose, set up for little ones that have no parents or homes to go back to."

"Oh? So not only are you a doctor, but you run an orphanage?" Aleister was practically brimming with excitement now, clearly quite taken away with him.

"Well, I wouldn't call it that." Alistar said seriously. "I'm far from being _that_ charitable." He smirked in the same devilish way Ciel was accustomed to seeing Sebastian do, making him shiver on the inside. He was nearly apt to start believing the demon was bi-polar, for as much swinging as he did between kindness and a sense of impending cruelty. "No. My home is more like a refuge for runaways than anything. People, in a manner of speaking, who, like me, have been kicked out of their permanent homes and aren't left with any other safe place to be. We happen to take a lot of younglings whose parents abandoned them or died, but that's really more coincidence than real purpose." He explained, shrugging. "Once they reach a certain age, they are automatically kicked out unless extenuating circumstances allow them to stay permanently. Usually, though, that only applies to females who otherwise wind up in...unfavourable, situations while they are with us." Aleister nodded, understanding the implication there that Ciel did not.

"I see. Well, you're certainly a character, in any case. I think I'd quite like to get to know you better, if you don't mind it any." Ciel shuddered at his suave tone, not at all surprised the viscount would hit on a man.

"As a matter of fact, I don't." If he had shuddered before, he was nearly sick now. Who in their right mind said yes to that creep? "Perhaps you are quite free sometime tomorrow morning. I think I can get away from the manor for that long, can't I?" He turned a strange expression to Ciel, one that made him seriously begin to question the mental stability of this man, demon or otherwise, for it was suave and pleading in a bizarrely coy fashion. The expression was far too effeminate for his liking, but did it's job nonetheless.

"That will be fine, so long as you are up to it." He said dismissively. He was tired of watching this.

"I think I will be retiring soon." He announced. Turning away, he called over his shoulder irritably as he passed by Aleister's yet unnamed brother. "You have fifteen minutes to leave, Chambers, or I'm sicking Sebastian on you." He heard the "eep!", smirking a bit.

Sebastian walked beside his master, looking at him meaningfully. "If you've got something to say, then be out with it." the Earl demanded.

"I am...concerned, that spending time with Alistar may not be what is best for the young master." Sebastian said simply, watching for a response. Ciel kept walking, thinking of how to respond.

"I can sort of see why. Demon or not, I don't think he's quite alright upstairs."

"While I can admit to understanding that line of thought, it isn't so much his flippant behaviour which concerns me, my lord." Ciel paused at the door, looking at his butlers too-serious face.

"And what is it about him that does concern you, pray-tell?" Ciel asked curiously, sensing the ghost of jealousy in Sebastian's voice.

"To be frank, I am unsure if, for once, he is _too_ honest with you." Ciel quirked a brow at him as Sebastian opened the door, stepping aside to let him through.

"Too honest? Of all the reasons to distrust a demon, and that's the best one you can give me?"

"It isn't necessarily that his honesty makes him untrustworthy; I am merely concerned that he may, by habit, tell you something which you were not meant to hear."

"Like what?" Ciel snapped, growing more irritable as the clock ticked on.

"Well," Sebastian stepped lightly in front of Ciel, halting him. "Let's just say that there are things mortals are not meant to know about. Things which could get us both into a lot of trouble with people – with _creatures_ , who you are not want to meet, and neither am I."

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 **Interesting chapter. :) Whelp, if you've got feedback, by all means let me know! I love to hear it, good bad or indifferent. :) Until next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello again my lovely readers, and thank you so much for reviewing/following my horribly complicated tale of two brothers and a boy stuck between them.**

 **There is something I rather forgot to warn y'all about; Yaoi will be a feature of this fic. It is such a common thing in this fandom I completely forgot to mention it. Oh well.**

 **...On that note: I rarely, RARELY ship SebaCiel when Ciel is human. RARELY. BUT, this...MIGHT be an exception, but only if it is requested. And in the event that it does move that direction, then don't expect kittens and rainbows. Sebastian is a demon. From Hell. Ciel is a human he is contracted to eat. Somehow, that doesn't end well no matter how I visualize it. It's a bit like pairing a human with a starving vampire. (Hint, hint) Doesn't sound like it would end well, does it?**

 **But at the expense of appealing to the fandom as well as making this an interesting story, I may decide to put them in some...situations. HOWEVER, if you want a full pairing between the two, you'll have to ask for it, otherwise I just don't have the inclination.**

 **Thank you for your understanding.**

 **Moving on!**

 **I have done something different in this chapter than what I typically do in my BB fics exclusively, and added the lyrics of a song to the BOTTOM of the chapter, since I get complaints when I put them at the top. (Oddly, the BB fandom is the ONLY one I've ever had issues with in that dept, but whatever. ) My reasoning? Because the song in question is far too perfect for this fic, and foreshadows as well as gives valuable character insight that I can not otherwise explain in the writing itself due to the...clandestine, nature of Sebastian's character. If you aren't happy with it, you can always just skip over it, and no damage is done.**

 **Ok, NOW we move on.**

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 **CH IV**

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Ciel was filing through his papers the next morning, thinking about what his butler had said the day prior.

 _There are things mortals are not meant to know about._

He could understand that, at it's fundamental roots. But whether Sebastian liked it or not, he was still a child by age. And children were quite well known for wanting to do precisely the opposite of what they were told not to do. To know what was forbidden for them to know. He was no exception – the fact that he now knew there were things he wasn't supposed to know about made him want to know them all the more. But Sebastian's grave warning stood in his path, a rocky wall with thorns overgrowing it that he daren't climb unless he was prompted to do so.

 _There are creatures you are not want to meet – and neither am I._

His curiosity could wait.

"Your tea, my Lord." Sebastian entered with cart in tow, bringing him his mid-morning tea and a light snack he cared not to listen to him drone on about as he typically did.

"How is Alistar doing?" He asked casually as he sipped his tea, which was a rather fine blend of Earl Grey.

"He is healing fine, but far more slowly than he ought to." Sebastian remarked with a frown. "His bones refuse to mend properly. How on earth they ever managed to get the nails into his bones in the first place, I don't know. It would take someone of considerable strength to be able to do so." He looked down at his master. "Someone of _inhuman_ strength, if I were to be the judge of it." Ciel looked up at him then. "Yet, he insists that all of those who attacked him and strung him up on the cross were human" Ciel's eyes hardened.

"You think he's hiding something?"

"No, not necessarily." Sebastian explained. "I believe him when he says that all of them were human. However, that does not necessarily mean that they were all _mortal._ " Ciel's brow went up in confusion.

"What do you mean, they weren't all mortal?" Sebastian's silence prompted him to ponder the idea, upon which he came to a startling realization.

"You don't mean to say –" He began, his voice catching with the shock of it.

"Yes, I am afraid that our cultists may have successfully rendered a corpse. Perhaps it was a human that stuck him with the nails, but it was no mortal man that drove them into his bones, particularly not at that angle."

"Have you spoken with him about it?"

"Not yet, no." he smirked devilishly then. "As it would happen, our guest quite fell asleep at the windowsill last night, and has yet to come out of his slumber. I would wake him, but I would much prefer to keep that mess out of my purview for now, seeing as demon-inflicted wounds heal much more slowly than human-inflicted ones."

"I see. You suspect he'll attack you if you startle him." Ciel thought to what Alistar had said at last night's supper. "Being as he's mostly blind, I don't think I can blame him for being defensive in situations like that."

"Indeed, I don't blame him either." Sebastian remarked, removing Ciel's plate as he finished consuming the small cake he'd been given. "Particularly as he is wounded right now." Ciel watched Sebastian carefully, wondering what the purpose of mentioning that was.

"Is he dangerous? To me or the other servants?" Ciel asked intrepidly, curious about it from the time he'd let the demon in his home.

"I don't believe he wishes any of you harm, no."

"But?" Ciel prompted, knowing there was more left unsaid. Sebastian only smirked in a 'you got me' kind of way.

"However, a wounded animal is always unpredictable, my Lord." he replied. "Demons are not unlike them in that way. Many of us would rather lick our wounds in solitude, for keeping the wrong kind of company with severe injuries could prove... particularly fatal, if you understand my meaning." Ciel nodded.

"Indeed I do." He said, sighing. "How do we minimize the chances of injury, or worse?" Sebastian chuckled lightly.

"I doubt he would intentionally kill you." He said with confidence. "However, I would avoid startling or surprising him. It goes without saying that one is better not to frighten him, but as I am the only one capable of causing him grievous injury right now, I find it doubtful that any of you would be able to do that." His smirk became a flat scowl. "Though, despite that, he seems confident enough to let me check his wounds, and furthermore doesn't mind showing me his body exposed."

"And what's that mean?"

"It means he is either very trusting and naïve, or he is considerably more powerful than I initially thought he was." Ciel thought on that for a moment.

"You two are brothers, right?"

"Yes. But I am confident that that has nothing to do whatsoever with his apparent trust in me." Ciel nodded, recalling what Sebastian had said about familiarity between demons.

"So he's either blinder than we thought, or strong enough to kill us all. Lovely." The Earl muttered sarcastically. "Guess it's a good thing he isn't very vicious. In fact, he seems...benevolent." Ciel said strangely. Sebastian chuckled again, though this one was darker.

"Indeed, he seems to have an even temperament, and certainly has a fondness for humans." Again, Ciel sensed something unsaid.

"I grow tired of your clandestine talk. Come out with what you have to say, or don't bother speaking." Sebastian nodded in understanding, an eerie grin coming onto his face.

"I merely meant to imply that perhaps he is not as kind as you might envision. True enough, he is an...odd, example of our kind. But he, like me, is still a demon beneath his outer facade." Sebastian's gaze locked with his master's for only a moment before Ciel broke away, understanding that staring into his servant's eyes was often a bad idea, for a number of reasons. "Best you not forget that."

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Alistar woke up around the time lunch was being served outdoors, and opted to join them outside for a little sunlight as he stretched his tired muscles, his healing bones refusing to offer him reprieve from their dull, constant ache. But the pain was ignorable for now.

"Afternoon, Ciel." Alistar greeted pleasantly, coming to stand beside Sebastian in an eerily familiar manner. Curious, and knowing where his limits were at, Ciel decided to inquire a bit about the man's strange behaviour.

"You always come to stand beside him like that." Ciel observed as he ate his lunch. "And it is only ever Sebastian I have seen you do it to. Granted, I have not known you long, but it seems strange that a demon of your...capabilities," He went with that, rather than strength, for he didn't know for sure yet if Sebastian was right about him. "would approach another demon that way. Then again, I'm hardly an expert on the matter." He watched Alistar carefully as he pondered a reply.

"Hm...all right. I don't see the harm." He muttered to himself, drawing up some kind of placid composure. "I am a doctor in the human world because I was once in service as a healer in my own." Ciel's eyes widened in surprise at this. He was a servant? "I served demons of a higher rank, working as their healers, among other tasks. You might be tempted to say that I held a position not unlike what your butler does, for some of them, at least." A flash of some unnamed emotion passed through his carmine gaze. "That is why I am habitually honest, even to my fellow fiend." He glanced at Sebastian meaningfully. "I was brought up as a lesser demon, despite my breeding, and have been taught my entire life not to lie, not even to those I am not required to keep an honest vow to."

"I see." Ciel said, feeling a conflicted mixture of emotions. It hadn't even occurred to him that demons could be servants to other demons.

"That certainly explains your complacent attitude when I am examining your wounds." Sebastian muttered. Alistar smiled bitterly.

"Indeed. I am trained well. Had my prior masters not been so _dedicated_ in teaching me," He emphasized the word 'teaching' in a way that seemed like it held more meaning between them than it did with himself. "You would probably not be as intact as you are now."

"Enough with that." Ciel intervened, sensing the potential for a dangerous conversation to take place.

Just then, a long, trilling sort of whistle could be heard in the distance. The sound seemed curious to Ciel, who couldn't recall any bird he knew of that made a noise like that, but even more curious was Alistar's reaction to it, for his posture went rigid, expression at attention and half-sighted gaze directed at the noise.

"What was that?" Ciel asked, more because of the demon's response than a reaction to the noise. Sebastian, also, became alert, though also more as a result of their demon guest's strange behaviour. Another bird-like call could be heard from a ways off, though it had a decidedly different nature, for it was long and mournful, not unlike the call of a peacock or a pheasant, though derisively more melancholic in it's note. Alistar's head cocked to the side slightly at the noise, listening intently for it again after it passed. After what felt like a full minute, the call sounded again, slightly closer.

"Again, what is that?" Ciel announced once more, looking to Sebastian for some kind of clue. But the demon's face was scrunched up in confusion, though wariness lied beneath his darkened gaze.

"I am not sure myself." Sebastian said quietly.

Suddenly, Alistar went into motion, moving at a hasty but easy pace toward the edge of the garden area they were in, attention focused on the treeline in the distance from which the call had sounded. It came again, but seemed to be moving away this time.

"Alistar..." Ciel was about to ask what the matter was, but was quite unexpectedly cut off when the pale demon returned the call, using the same bird-like tone as the one in the distance. Quite unaccustomed to hearing such noises come from human-shaped bodies, Ciel quirked a brow in bewilderment at the man. The call from afar came back, closer again this time.

"What on earth is going on?" Ciel asked in unpleasant confusion. Alistar then turned to Ciel, seemingly excited by something.

"I am afraid I must depart you sooner than I thought." He said, bowing. Now more confused, he demanded an answer.

"What on earth do you mean?" The call sounded again, closer yet. Alistar turned to the noise before bringing his attention back to Ciel with his bewilderingly soft smile.

"That call belongs to one of my own." He explained. "It is a way for my mate and I to contact each other when we are far apart, as we often are." Ciel's mind went back over his sentence twice, putting things together slower than he'd of liked.

"Mate?" He asked incredulously.

"Yes." Alistar replied simply, again looking towards the forest. "He is calling me now. No doubt he is wondering where I have been all this time. I can sense his worry." Ciel looked over Alistar, a strange emotion creeping upon him. The call sounded again, and Alistar replied to it once more. His voice, even while emitting an inhuman noise, carried a longing in it's tone that made Ciel's gut clench uncomfortably. His mind chose then, of all times, to catch up to itself again.

"Wait, _he_?!" Alistar chuckled.

"I suppose the human equivalent would be to call him my husband." Alistar said sheepishly. Ciel's attention was momentarily distracted when he seen something fly over the crest of the treeline, a grouse-sized, apricot-coloured bird who's general shape was somehow both hawkish and pheasant-like at once.

"Is that him?" Ciel asked. "Yes, yes it is." Alistar replied, his expression softer than he'd of thought possible for a demon. It made him unsettled, somehow. He turned back to Ciel with a courteous bow.

"Thank you. For housing me and for freeing me from what would have been a slow and painful death." He looked between Ciel and Sebastian, rising.

"What of your injuries?" Ciel asked, unsure if he was alright leaving yet.

"I should be fine, now that he is here." Alistar indicated with a nod to the bird now circling the canopy, calling mournfully. A tightness gripped Ciel's chest.

"Then go." Ciel dismissed. Sebastian looked over at his master with an unreadable expression. Alistar gave a long glance back at him. "You shouldn't keep him waiting." Ciel said softly after a moment. Alistar nodded, turning back. A silvery sort of energy emitted quite suddenly from him then, and in the next moment Ciel was left to watch with bafflement as his form shrank and transformed into a bird of similar shape to the one flying overhead, a long, sleek, curled crest resting atop his hawkish head, and two ribbony, peacock-like feathers streaming from his long, wedged tail. He turned red eyes onto the two one last time, as if uncertain he should go.

" _So the record shows,"_ He said in a telepathic sort of voice. _"I really hate goodbyes."_ With no more and no less said, he took flight, feathers shining with opalescent iridescence as he set off to converge with his lover, the two chattering with the same whistled trill as before as they swiftly disappeared beneath the trees.

"Well." Ciel said after a moment. "That was certainly unexpected."

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The next day, Ciel received a letter from her Magistrate, inviting him to investigate another report from all the way over in Scotland. He read the letter, recalling that the queen hadn't actually given him any orders yet to investigate the corpses.

"Damnit. Now we'll have to put our other investigation on hold. Although..." He read over the contents, looking at the files attached to it.

"Yes, my Lord?"

"Have a look at this." He handed Sebastian the contents, and he read them over carefully.

"More cult activity, huh?" He smirked. "Sounds like it could be related."

"Yes, but all the way in Scotland? Northern Scotland, no less. And why ask me to do this? I don't have any legal jurisdiction there. That's Yard territory. Any dealings I found would have to go through them." Ciel looked at the letter suspiciously.

Apparently, there had been several murders attributed to cult activity in Inverness, a small town located on the other side of the Grampian mountains. It would be a rough ride up there, and it would likely be snowing this time of year. There's no guarantee they'd make it through the passes, unless they took the long route up the coast. But even that had it's perils, for the Scottish coastline was known to be stormy this time of year, and with sheer cliffs abounding...

"Can you make it through the mountains?"

"Of course, but the passes are likely to be closed due to foul weather."

"There are always ways around the passes. How long would it take to get there?"

"If we left tomorrow morning, about a day and a half."

"A full day?" Ciel asked incredulously.

"Well, with the weather as it is at those altitudes this time of year, I'm afraid I couldn't push a horse much faster." Ciel sighed in resignation.

"If that's the best you can manage with a carriage I don't think I can complain." He stated, rising. "We should leave tonight, if that's possible. I'd rather we sort out what the relevancy of this case might be to our own as soon as possible."

"I shall prepare for our trip now, then, and we can leave after supper."

"That's fine. Now go."

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"Before we leave, my Lord, I feel it relevant to relay to you my findings in todays newspaper." Sebastian remarked as they headed out to the carriage.

"You pick now to bring this up?"

"I only acquired this knowledge moments ago, having not looked through the entire paper until then."

"Alright then, go on with it." He handed Ciel a section of said paper.

"It appears that people have been going missing in the mountains of late – in fact, the disappearances began the same time that the crucifixions did." Ciel looked over the papers, finding his statement accurate.

"So then they really are connected." the Earl muttered. "All the more reason for us to make haste, then. But why wouldn't the Queen let me know about the disappearances? Surely those could be connected to the murders."

"I am not so sure of that." He came up behind his master, indicating with a thin finger to a section of the paper. "Of those recovered, all have been killed by some kind of animal. They've sent hunters and policemen to find it, but apparently it has been hiding in the folds of the mountains, too deep for anyone to reach in the poor weather."

"Do they have any suspicions as to what this animal might be?" He asked, even as he read over the article.

"They believe it is an escaped big cat, but I am not sure that a pet would be able to live in the mountains on it's own, especially not with winter closing in."

"That's probably why it's not on the front cover. They expect the creature to die as it begins to freeze." He thought a moment, stopping.

"My Lord?"

"This animal – it is supposed to lie deep in the mountains, yes?" Sebastian smirked at his hesitant tone.

"Yes, and so far none of the missing persons have been recorded to have been taking the common roads. They've all been on foot, out in the wilderness." Ciel sighed a bit in relief.

"Come then, it's getting dark." He said as Sebastian helped him get in. Once inside and settled, he tapped the roof to indicate they should go.

 _'There's something going on here, and I don't like the looks of it.'_

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 **Short chapter!**

 **What will become of Ciel and Sebastian in the mighty Grampian mountains? What sort of creature lies in wait? And who is this mysterious cult that keeps killing people? Read on to find out!**

 **(PS. A review telling me where I could improve or where I have made a plothole is greatly appreciated whenever applicable. I tend to miss those.)**

 **Until next time, lovely followers! I bid you Sayonara!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Whoo! This is bar none one of my favourite chapters so far. I'm excited to be delivering this to you. *Giddy laughter***

 **Going on with things:**

 **WARNING: This chapter DEFINITELY has horror elements to it (crappy ones, because I suck at those, but horror nonetheless). On the bright side, we are now officially entering the meaty part of the story, so you can say sayonara to the beginning/intro stuff! (All 4 chapters of it...ugh. I really need to work on making those shorter.)**

 **Going on – into the dark forest!**

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 **CH V**

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The ride across the border went without much incident – they were stopped at one point to ask if they intended to take the pass, but Sebastian managed to handle it. They insisted that if they were going into the mountains that they take a different horse, and so Ciel begrudgingly waited for Sebastian to hook up the larger, more muscular horse to the body of the carriage before going on. A steady tapping on the window alerted him to the swift descent of rain, and as they climbed into the pass areas, it began to pelt harder, making hollow whacking noises on the roof. Ciel tapped the roof lightly, getting the demon's attention.

"Are we alright to keep going in this weather?" He asked, out of courtesy more than want to stop. He knew Sebastian would be fine whatever, but he wasn't sure if the horse would be alright with the slick, unpaved roads ahead.

"It's only a bit of rain, m'lord. Besides, it seems to be passing." True enough, the inside of the carriage became eerily silent as the rain faded out.

"Go on then. I want to be there no later than noon tomorrow, if possible." He tapped the roof again to indicate he was finished speaking, and felt them increase speed.

Ciel was very nearly asleep when suddenly, the entire carriage lurched forward with an abrupt stop, sending the young Earl toppling into the floor with the force of the momentum they had been carrying.

"Oof! Sebastian, what the hell?" Ciel cried, quite upset at being so rudely awakened. He could hear his butler about to respond, but he was cutoff when the horse pulling them suddenly made a terrible whinny, and the carriage jerked backwards, again knocking Ciel off his feet and back onto the seat cushions.

"Whoah! Steady now!" Sebastian yelled, trying to get the horse under control.

"Sebastian! What is happening out there?"

"Something seems to have spooked the horse, my Lord." Ciel scoffed. Figures they'd get a horse that would spook so easy. Ciel stopped his thought then, however, remembering suddenly that there was supposed to be a large, predatory animal on the loose. The horse cried out again, and the entire carriage shook up and down violently as it reared, quite frightened by one thing or the next.

"Sebastian! Get us out of here!" Ciel called, afeared that the thing spooking the horse might well be out to eat it.

The carriage lurched forward again, taking off at an unprecedented speed. The spooked horse ran without any care for who was holding it's reigns, refusing in panic to listen to any command Sebastian tried to give it.

"Woah!" Ciel cried as they flew over a pit in the road. "Sebastian, slow down!"

"I can't my Lord, the horse is too panicked to listen to me!" Sebastian tried pulling back on the reigns one more time, but rather than make the horse stop or slow, the sudden pressure on it's bridle and the disorienting angle of it's head against it's neck drove the horse to careen to the side of the road, where a rather deep drainage ravine had been made by the rains. Sebastian pulled his hardest without hurting the horse to direct it back onto the road, but the panicky creature couldn't pull the weight against the inertia. As soon as Sebastian felt the wheel of the carriage clip the edge of the ravine, his own survival instincts kicked in, and he leapt from the vehicle, watching as if in slow motion as the entire carriage, horse and all, keeled onto it's side, the horse screaming out of fright from the fall. Trying to right itself against it's restraints, the horse kicked and thrashed violently against the carriage itself, snapping off chips of wood with it's sharp hooves as it did so. Not having much time to think, Sebastian decided his master, in the padded carriage, was temporarily safe, and went about freeing the frightened horse. A simple snap of the leather bands that kept it put sent the creature on it's feet and sprinting away down the off-road path they'd been taking.

 _'No matter. I can catch it later.'_ Sebastian thought, practically ripping off the door as he went in to see if his master was safe.

He had to suppress a chuckle when he seen the young Lord, upside down with bottom up and feet dangling over his head, glaring daggers at him. "So you save the horse first, eh? I see how it is." He grumbled bitterly.

"With all due respect, your life wasn't in as much immediate danger. Besides, I can always retrieve it."

"Yeah, yeah, quit your chatter and help me out of this contraption!" Sebastian obliged, taking his master's hand and helping him twist himself to right before carefully picking him up and carrying him out of the carriage.

"Is the carriage alright?" Sebastian set his master down and went about inspecting it, and to his dismat found it unrepairable.

"I'm afraid not." He said, coming back around to his master's side. "The entire axle has been broken to splinters, and the back wheel is missing some nine of it's spokes."

"So, in other words, it's not fixable."

"Not immediately, no."

"Great." Ciel huffed sarcastically, shivering from the autumn chill. He looked around, but could hardly see anything in the dark. A sudden light shining from behind him made him turn to find that Sebastian had somehow salvaged one of the lamps.

"How are we supposed to get to Inverness now?" Ciel complained. He did not like how things were turning out.

"Well, my lord..." Sebastian came up behind him now, using the lamp to light their path. "It would seem we have no choice but to walk." Ciel looked up at him incredulously.

" _Walk_? Are you mad? In the _dark_? In _October?!_ " Ciel upstarted. "I'll freeze to death!"

"Maybe not, if I were to carry you. The temperature doesn't really bother me, nor does it affect my own body temperature all that much." the butler offered sincerely. "You could also take my coat, if you were want to. As said, the cold doesn't particularly affect me, though I can't say I prefer it." Ciel thought about it with a frown.

"Fine. We 'll at least walk until we find a suitable place to make camp." Ciel stated, walking on ahead, though he was careful not to leave the light of the lamp.

"Are you coming?"

"Are you not sure it would be better for me to carry you? You did say it was cold enough to kill you after all." The demon mocked.

"I'll stay on my feet as long as I'm able. You can carry me when I get too tired." Sebastian sighed, having expected a grander response.

"Yes, my Lord."

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"By the way," Ciel uttered after they walked for a ways. "W-what do you s-suppose spooked the horse?" Ciel kept his jaw from chattering as best he was able, but as the temperature dropped, it was becoming more and more difficult to keep the shivers that were wracking his frame under control.

"I am unsure myself. I did sense something ahead of us, but it was there and gone so quickly that I could not ascertain what it was."

"Do you think it w-was the cat?"

"Perhaps." Sebastian looked down at his pitiful master, a small smirk coming onto his face.

Ciel nearly lept from his skin when a sudden weight fell on both shoulders. Turning to look, he found his butler's coat draped around his shoulders.

"I'm fine." He lied. "I d-don't need it."

"Nonsense, you're practically convulsing with shivers." Sebastian chastisized lightly. "Besides, you quite recall what happened last time you were in a stressful situation and caught cold." Ciel didn't like to, but he did. Not favouring another asthma attack, he begrudginly accepted the coat, pulling it around himself. He would never admit it to anyone, but the scent of his butler on the coat, wrapped around him as it was, was...comforting, in it's own way.

As Ciel was going along, Sebastian's hand pressed firmly against his chest abruptly halted him. He was about to ask what he was doing, but in that instant the demon's body language changed just as abruptly as he'd been stopped, his posture crouched and face alert for danger. Ciel felt the urge to stay quiet then, some instinct telling him to stay silent but alert. The stayed like that for a moment before Sebastian's posture changed again, his stance becoming more erect as his head tilted to and fro, listening for something.

"Sebastian –" Ciel whispered just above a breath, his hair beginning to stand on end for more reasons that the chill in the air, which suddenly seemed to get colder, even beneath the wool coat he wore. Suddenly, there was darkness as Sebastian blew out the lamp, grabbing his master and pressing him uncomfortably against his chest.

"Sebastian –" Ciel was about to complain, confused and frightened by the unexpected darkness, but a hand over his mouth cut off his voice. He was pushed down then, and his butler's heavy body mounted over him in a protective stance as the demon's aura became increasingly tangible. Ciel's heart hammered hard and fast in his chest like a rabbit's, his muscles shaking with adrenaline as his fear escalated.

"Se-" He was about to make another inquiry about what was happening, when an eerie noise reached his ears from in front of them. It was a laughing sort of noise, but whatever throat it came out of was definitely not human. The laughing was pitchy and animalistic, reflective of a hyena, but decidedly different as well. And like hyenas, there seemed to be more than one as the sounds echoed from around them on three sides. Shrinking as much as possible, Ciel plastered himself to the wet earth, terror beginning to seep from his bones. A long, high-pitched cry from one of the three creatures made Ciel shudder – but nothing quite made his stomach churn like the sound his own butler made, a long, raspy hissing escaping his throat as a warning to whatever happened to be onto them. Ciel dared a glance up towards Sebastian's face, and even in the darkness could see his fangs shining and on full display to these creatures.

The sound of branches being rustled in the brush made Ciel's heart skip a beat, his body quaking now with the suppressed urge to flee. Before them, in the darkness came a silhouette of some sort of beast, with long, bat-like ears and what appeared to be two swishing tails. It's long teeth could be seen glimmering in the faint moonlight, which was obstructed by clouds. It made that horrible lauging call again, and two others like it appeared from the brush as well. Ciel felt panic begin to grip at him, clawing him backwards as he tried to hide more completely beneath his butler's body. The demon's aura flared, making Ciel even more afraid, if that was possible, his breath coming in short, painful gasps as he tried not to be tangled in them – again.

Sebastian let out another low, raspy, drawn-out hiss, bearing his fangs to these creatures just as they bore their own. After a minute, the three seemed to reconsider their options, pacing back and forth in front of them on forelegs that were much longer than their hind ones. Seeing them move put a different perspective on things, and Ciel mentally compared their size to the average border collie. Not huge, but still foreign enough to be frightening. His mind was put a little at ease once he actually registered how small they were, but it didn't say that way. One of the three made a mock-lunge at Sebastian, trying to scare him away by lifting it's forelegs above it's head and stamping them hard on the ground. In doing so, however, even in the dim light, Ciel noticed something strange about it's legs, for there appeared to be a leathery membrane attaching it's elbow to it's body, – only the way it was situated and stretched...

Ciel came to the uncomfortable conclusion, then, that it's legs weren't legs at all.

They were _wings_.

"Sebastian, get me out of here, now! That's and _order_!" Ciel said in desperation, somehow finding his voice amidst his very short-lived mental reprieve. Before he could even register what was happening, they were moving, bounding along through the treeline. Out of breath, Ciel panted, only to be startled again when he heard a harrowing screaming coming up from behind them.

"Sebastian!" Ciel cried in panic, gripping him like a lifeline. In a way, he _was_ his lifeline, for now anyway.

He dared a glance behind them, only to have his earlier suspicions proved – the damn things could fly like bats and were presently chasing them from above the treeline.

"Young master, please hang on tightly – I'm afraid this might be a rough ride." Was all the warning he was given before his body was jerked suddenly to the side as Sebastian made a right-angle turn. Ciel closed his eyes tightly, wishing, not for the first time, that this was a nightmare he could wake up from.

He heard and felt Sebastian reach up as one of them came down to grapple and toss the screeching creature away from them. A sudden free-fall made Ciel nearly lose his stomach, but he recovered himself enough not to be ill once they hit solid ground. The sound of Sebastian's shoes running on stone reached his ears, and he drew the conclusion that they had hit some rocky outcrop, or else had dropped into a cave or tavern of some sort. Peeking just enough to see that there was still light around them, he decided on the former.

They went on at a speed Ciel didn't even want to consider for a while more, before gradually coming to a halt. Sebastian set Ciel down on unsteady feet, having to catch him once while he regained his balance.

"Just what the bloody hell were those things?" Ciel asked, breathless despite not being the one who had been sprinting. "And where are we?"

"I am unsure of our exact location – however, those beasts certainly explain the disappearances." Ciel caught the tone in his voice that indicated he wasn't saying something.

"And? Do you know what they were?"

"I know what they are," He said solemnly, a rare scowl coming onto his face. "They're demons." He said after a moment. "Though what on earth they're doing in this world, I don't know." Ciel panted, trying to come to grips with this information.

"Seems like we're running into demons left and right here lately." Ciel said. "Though I always did think it odd that we've never run into one before. I mean, I knew you couldn't be the only one." Ciel huffed. A light chuckle from Sebastian put his attention back on the black-clad butler. "What I think you mean is that we haven't run into any that _you've_ been aware of." Ciel blinked at the thought, all others stopping to heed the magnitude of that one. It did make sense, when he thought about it, but...

"How many have we passed that you didn't say anything about?"

"Why would I say anything?" Sebastian countered. "They were of no immediate threat to you, so I had no reason to point them out. Besides which, none of them were quite as powerful or as old as Alistar or myself. Even if they had started a confrontation over territory or worse, you, then they probably wouldn't have attacked, provided they had their wits about them." Ciel grew agitated at his butlers crafty way of dodging the subject.

"You're avoiding the question." He said pointedly.

"Because honestly, my Lord, I don't have a definitive number. Unlike you, who is human, and rather like a lamb, always having to be on the lookout for the wolf in disguise, I don't tend to keep tabs on where the other wolves might be hiding in the flock, though believe me, they're out there. It's none of my business to mess with, and as long as they stay well out of my way, of no concern to me." Sebastian shrugged with just as much casualness as he'd said the words with. Figures he'd do something like that.

"Hmf. Well, in any case, we should figure out where we are." Ciel looked up, seeing that they were under a clear sky now.

"Can you navigate us in the general direction we are supposed to be going?" He asked, watching the stars. A hand on his shoulder called his attention, and he realized then that he was standing on top of a pale gray-ish rock, it's colour obvious in the moonlight now that the skies had cleared.

"What are you doing?" Ciel asked as Sebastian pulled him backwards lightly.

"Before we go anywhere, I think you should rest, even if it's for a few minutes." He advised. "You've had quite the frightening experience, young Lord. If you continue to push on, you might very well faint or else become ill."

"I feel fine." Ciel huffed, trying to shrug him off. It didn't work, however, and the demon's hand remained glued to his shoulder. He was being serious.

"I really don't think you are. You have a lot of fight still in your body, and it's making you restless. Once you calm down, I think you will find yourself quite drained." Sebastian explained, pulling the Earl back towards a large spruce tree that had rooted itself into a large crack in the stone. "Though you did not have to fight for your life, the same effect was achieved by the panic you were experiencing." He continued, sitting beside the tree and pulling his Lord down beside him.

"Come now. You need to rest." Sebastian kept one arm around his waist as the little Earl made himself as comfortable as possible without leaning on his butler, knowing it was futile to resist him when he was like this. He ultimately failed to get comfy on the hard stone, and as the fight in his veins began to leave him and the exhaustion Sebastian had spoke of began to take hold, he couldn't resist the only-somewhat softer body of his servant, and leaned against him without care. As he grew more weary, he felt Sebastian's hands reposition him gently into a vastly more comfortable pose, though he couldn't say he knew which one – not that he cared much as he slowly drifted to sleep, praying that his dreams wouldn't be as frightful as the living nightmare he'd just experienced.

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Ciel woke just as dawn broke over the crest of the mountain, leaving the forests around them still in twilight but painting the sky above them a brilliant peach colour. When he shifted to stretch, he realized that something – or more specifically, someone – was behind him. Looking back, he found with a glowing blush that he'd been positioned, somehow, to rest against his butler's chest, with his body situated somewhat between his legs. Looking towards his face, the earl found him to be feigning sleep, though a deep, even breath against his back might have fooled anyone else.

"Sebastian, wake up." Ciel barked, shifting to stand himself, only to find his body quite weary. He needed to eat something.

Turning to the demon still lying there, he watched Sebastian open his eyes slower than he'd of expected, and seen him for the first time ever actually _stretch_.

"Were you actually sleeping?" Ciel inquired, now feeling a little bad if he'd woken him.

"Not really. I believe the term you might use is cat-napping." As if to compliment that statement, he leaned forward on all fours and stretched in a rather cat-like manner, spreading his arms in front of him before bowing his back down until his chest nearly touched the ground before springing back up and arching his back the other way.

"I must say," He complained. "That tree is rather uncomfortable." He rose, visibly stretching his legs as he did so. Catching his master staring, he smirked.

"Even I need to stretch my muscles sometimes. Besides, I wasn't planning on coming so close to falling asleep. It's rather odd, since I don't actually need to sleep." He shrugged. "Perhaps I've gotten out of shape. After all, I don't get much decent exercise nowadays." He looked at Ciel meaningfully, causing the Earl to glare.

"I need to eat something." he voiced, holding his stomach as a particularly nauseating hunger pain flushed through his abdomen like a wave. "But to cook anything out here would take too long."

"If you will, my lord," Sebastian said, calling his master's attention. "When we were...ahem, escaping, last night, I did happen to see what looked like a small village in the northernly direction. I am not sure, with the coming daylight, if I would be able to spot it again amongst the foliage, but I think we could get there on foot, if I were to carry you, within an hour or so." Ciel turned to him with a glare that was as incredulous as it was angry.

"Idiot, then why didn't you simply go there last night?!"

"Because there is a clearing area between us and it; to have carried you into open spaces with those beasts looking for us would have been simply begging for them to swoop down and carry you off – and you know very well that I won't let that happen." Ciel frowned at the familiarly eerie smirk on his face, moving to stand on the edge of the rock they had found themselves seated on. Looking around him, he found themselves to be in quite a thick area of the wood, with a wall of underbrush and brambles effectively surrounding them on every side except the one he figured they'd come in from, which was to the western side, behind the tree they'd slept on. Peering through the narrow opening (and wondering how on earth Sebastian managed to squeeze through such a narrow space without making any noise that he could recall) he found a sort of game trail, and figured it must have lead up to that free-fall drop they'd encountered last night.

"You jumped off something rather high last night, correct?" Sebastian looked confused by the question, but answered nonetheless.

"Yes. Those creatures chased us off a nearly vertical cliff. I didn't have much of a choice but to jump." Sebastian replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Because, I want to know if we are even on the right side of the mountain." Ciel said, looking around him. "If we've gone back down it the way we came up, then maybe there's a road or something that will lead us to a pass. I'd honestly prefer to avoid whatever local goons live way out here in no-man's-land if I can." Ciel complained, sighing. Sebastian chuckled sardonically.

"That coming from the mouth of someone who was just complaining about being hungry." Sebastian came up behind him, standing there purposefully. "I am sure that these people are not so inhospitable as to not welcome the rare traveller. Besides, there's a chance they know something about those demons we ran into, as well as the disappearances." Ciel looked back at his butler thoughtfully, before heaving a deep sigh of resignment.

"Fine. But I'd rather we didn't stay any longer than we have to."

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"Ugh..." Ciel moaned as he climbed up an unforgiving slope, his body entirely fatigued from hunger. His legs were beginning to shake from the exertion, and he felt the whisps of faintness touch his brow with every step.

"Are you sure you don't want me to carry you, my Lord?" Sebastian asked, almost mocking him with how easy he made climbing this damn hill look.

"I need to move, unless you'd like me to be sick on you. My empty stomach is making me feel ill, and your jostling around isn't helpful in keeping what little is in there down."

"As I've told you, I can go slower. But you were the one who said you wanted to get there and out quickly..."

"Oh, shut up. It's just as much your fault as mine." Ciel paused a moment, huffing. He had to bend over as a wave of dizziness hit him, and didn't bother to fight it when Sebastian came and placed a steadying hand on his shoulder.

"If you insist..." the demon muttered. He gently tugged on Ciel's shoulder, encouraging him along. "Come, we are almost over the crest – " Once more, his butler's hand on his chest was halting.

"Oh, not again." He nearly groaned, but looking ahead of him, this time actually seen what had given his servant pause.

There, at the very top of the hill some ten meters before them was what looked to be a man, dressed in a pale green and gold robe of sorts that seemed to shimmer in the light. His long, wavy blonde hair was parted to the side, leaving one half of his face mostly obscured from sight. He approached them with a casual air and slow, graceful strides, as though he were purposefully making himself seem less threatening.

"Welcome, newcomers." He announced in a smooth timbre voice as he gradually descended. He stopped some four meters in front of them, and Ciel noticed that he was incredibly tall – nearly as tall, if not more so, than Sebastian. "I trust you are the Phantomhive boy?" He looked down at Ciel then, tilting his head in a hawkish fashion, though his gaze was level and calm. Quite startled to find his name, never mind his face, known way out here, he blinked.

"How do you know my name, or even recognize me for that matter?"

"It is not you I would recognize." He looked to Sebastian then. "Your butler is hard not to identify, even in his human form." Ciel's mind froze.

"How –"

"Because he isn't human either." Sebastian explained before Ciel could even ask, his own gaze hardening defensively.

"Fear not, I have no interest in your prey." The man – or whatever he was – said smoothly, holding up his hands placatingly. "Besides which, I do not eat souls, but rather am quite privy to the meat and bones, particularly when freshly dead." The man shrugged. "So unless you plan on leaving his corpse behind on this particular day, then I'm of no threat to your...investment." Ciel swallowed, deciding this pale creature was likely a demon as well.

"Come." He said, turning away as if automatically expecting them to follow. "You come to the village seeking shelter, I can assume, or else are here to see Alistar." Ciel exchanged looks with Sebastian then.

"Alistar?"

"Yes. He did say you might come here." The man walked on, pausing at the top of the hill again. Ciel quickly climbed up to his level, being sure to keep some distance just in case. He turned to Ciel again with a familiar kind of smile. "He is also my mate, if you might recall." Ciel did recall, and looking over this man, had a hard time believing he had been that pheasant-like bird from before.

"You're Alistar's mate?" Ciel asked with just as much disbelief.

"Oh come now, no need to be rude. Is it that difficult to imagine?" He said off-puttedly before perking up. "The name is Gabriel, by the by."

"Gabriel? Odd name for a demon to take." Sebastian commented. Gabriel only shrugged.

"It was given to me by a human I once lived with. She often likened me to the Angel because of my pale, curly hair – the amusing nature of it made it stick, and so that is now my name." He turned then, and began to go down the hill, at which point Ciel seen, through the brush below, the outline of a little hamlet.

"Well, are you coming? I'm sure Alistar will want to know you're here."

"Wait," Ciel said, halting. "Didn't Alistar say something about where he lived...?" Ciel thought on it, trying to recall what it was he'd said.

"Fear not," Gabriel said, waving him down. "So long as you have a contract, the demons here won't hurt you."

"Demons?" Ciel inquired, half disbelievingly, half in surprise.

"Yes," Gabriel smiled then, opening his arms in a welcoming gesture.

"Welcome to _Via ad Inferos,_ the village of demons."

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 **Ok, ok, so we are moving things along! What will Ciel do when confronted by a village full of demons that, as far as he's concerned, are out to eat him? How deeply into the world of his butler's belonging will this case take him? Read to find out!**

 **A note:**

 _ **Via ad Inferos**_ **literally means "the way back to Hell", so you can expect something from that!**

 **Until the next chapter, I bid you farewell!**


	6. Chapter 6

**This is officially also one of my fav chapters. So excited.**

 **Things are about to get really f'ing weird here, guys, so hold on to your skirts and britches, and remember that I A) study demonology, and B) that this is sourced totally from my mediocre world-building skills. So with that in mind, feel free to point out any major plot holes or universe holes.**

 **Moving on!**

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 **CH VI**

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"Village...of demons?" Ciel muttered. He wasn't quite sure what to make of that, nor the fact that, as a proud student of Latin, he knew that Inferos at least meant "Hell".

"Come," Gabriel waved at them to follow. "You must surely be hungry after spending a night in those woods." He nodded towards the forest behind them. "I'm sure with our supplies that I could probably find something for you to eat..."

"Wait." Ciel said, stopping abruptly as he realized he'd been following without his awareness. "You said that the village is full of _demons_?" Ciel nearly shuddered. "Doesn't that kinda make me..." He daren't think of the idea.

"Relax," Gabriel said, waving a hand dismissively. "As I said; so long as you have a contract, no one is likely to try and eat you, least of all the soul-eaters. They've usually got more integrity when it comes to stealing from each other than we fleshies do." A broad, almost stupid grin spread across his face, revealing canines that were longer on the top than the bottom, and which should have rightly stuck out of his mouth when he closed it, they were so large – yet, somehow, they found a way to vanish beneath his rosy lower lip instead, their surely pointed ends concealed somehow without stabbing him in the mouth.

"Fleshie?" Ciel quirked a brow at the unfamiliar term. Gabriel blinked before explaining, as if everyone knew, "Demons that eat flesh, rather than souls. Not all of us can make it on blood and spiritual energy, y'know." the tall, pale demon shrugged charismatically as he said this. "Some of us actually have to _eat_ what we catch." He gave Sebastian a playful glare. The butler only responded by raising a brow. Uncomfortable with the topic, Ciel cleared his throat to draw attention away from it.

"C'mon. Don't wanna leave Alistar hanging now, do you?" Gabriel said in a cheery tone, striding along ahead. "I can assure you, having lived with him for the last seven hundred years, that he gets quite upset when his expected company fails to arrive. Besides, you're not likely to last another night in those woods without some kind of protection, besides your butler." He kept talking as he walked, encouraging Ciel to begrudgingly follow him, if only to listen. "Sure, he's well bred and quite capable, I'm sure, of fending off the little beasts," Gabriel looked back at him now, a mischeivious smile on his pale face. "But there are bigger baddies out there. Think of them like big, demon bullies, if you will; they technically own the land around here, and anyone who goes outside the village is technically tresspassing on their turf, which, of course, they don't like." Gabriel explained as they descended the hill, still looking over his shoulder at Ciel as he walked. "You should be grateful, little Earl, that they did not catch you last night." His lower lip drew away from the edge of his canines in a wicked grin, showing their tips where they overlapped clear down to the gumline on his lower jaw. They were the fangs of a creature that bit and held down onto prey, long and curved like a leopard or some other big cat. His lower canines were not much shorter, only barely missing his upper gums; all in all, the show of his teeth was an intimidating sight indeed. It lasted no more than a moment, however, and he just as quickly turned his attention back in front of him, stopping as they reached the bottom of the hill.

"You'd be wise to stand close to your butler regardless, or else stick close to me. None of the demons here will cross me except the largest of them." Gabriel turned a much gentler smile to him this time. He turned back in front of him then, and Ciel looked, for the first time, closer at his face. He appeared to be wearing lilac-coloured make-up of sorts around his eyes, though it looked to be – and probably was – an actual part of his skin. Also odd about him were the colour of his irises; even Alistar's eyes had been red (though he _was_ albino...) but Gabriel's were instead a pretty aqua blue, though the cat-like pupil remained. Also, like Alistar, he had pointed ears – but unlike him, Gabriel's were studded with gold rings pierced into them.

"Stand back, please." He advised, stepping forward with his hand raised. Curious, Ciel watched as he seemed to draw a letter or symbol into the air, before thrusting his palm forward. " _Galah"_ He said in a commanding voice. Suddenly, the air surrounding his hand itself seemed to waver, and the image of the village before him, full of dilapidating houses and overgrown weeds, began to fall away like a mirage, unveiling instead a sight of quite different sorts.

"A barrier." Sebastian commented, though it was nearly appraising. "A complex one at that. Even I didn't sense it."

"Well, you'll find I am quite skilled at protective spells. The only reason you are standing there is because I spotted you before you went over the crest of the hill. Had you gone on without me there, the secondary barrier would have tripped an alarm system to alert the village to your presence. After all, we can't have random demons coming in and out of this place." Ciel let their conversation fall away as he looked around him, a thrill of both excitement and fear making his once hungry stomach cease and his body tense.

They stood now before a doorless gate made of cream-coloured wood, with strange letters written in bold red on the top, though what they said he didn't know, and wasn't sure he wanted to, since it looked like a warning. But that wasn't what had his chest clenching up or sweat beginning to involuntarily run down his neck – where once there hadn't been a single thing in sight, now there were hundreds of...well, demons. Most of them carried human or humanoid forms – except for the dozens of little creatures running about in groups. They are what gave him abrupt pause, for they looked so odd to him that he couldn't help but stare.

None of them looked exactly the same, though the ones that held together all had basically the same shapes, with skin that was a range of colours ranging through blue-green, gray and reddish-brown. All had more or less human-like faces, but that was the extent of their human appearances; one in particular that came not a meter in front of him had long, black markings on it's face, just beneath the eyes, and like the rest of those moving about together walked on feet that were anything but human, resembling a bird's more than a man's. Also behind it was a tail as long as it was tall – which wasn't very, since it reached no higher than his mid-thigh standing upright, the size of a two-year old perhaps. The thing stopped abruptly, looking up at him with large, cat-like eyes and ears that were more elfish than anything. Ciel couldn't help but stare back at it, noticing a mop of black hair atop it's head that came down in front of it's face, prompting the creature to shake the strands away. As he looked on at this creature, who's skin was a rufous colour, more of them also stopped to look at him, some with curiousity in their big, childish faces, and others, like the one closest to him, looking on at him warily. Overwhelmed by the situation, Ciel stepped back – and grew quite startled when the one nearest to him jumped back also, an animalistic hissing, akin to a cat, escaping from it's tiny throat.

 _'These things are creeping me out.'_ Ciel thought as they all continued to stare at him with unblinking, owlish expressions. Sensing movement from his left, Ciel turned sharply to his side –

And jumped quickly out of the way when a small, monkey-like hand with long, clawed fingers made a swipe at his ankle.

Ciel leapt quickly back to his butler's side, finding no shame in hiding behind him as one of the creatures, this one with a pale, grayish hide and a short crop of red hair _chased_ him a short ways, kicking the ground hard like a pissed off horse when it stopped just shy of Sebastian's shoe. Ciel shuddered as it let loose the same horrible, raspy hissing Sebastian had made earlier, warning him to _stay away_.

"Oh, come now, off with you!" Gabriel intervened, kicking at the creature with his boot, though he didn't actually hit it. Still hissing, it ran back to the others on all fours, who had all come to form a half-circle around the newcommers.

"What the hell _are_ those things?!" Ciel exclaimed, "They're freaking me out!" Sebastian's low chuckle made Ciel glare at him menacingly.

"They're the demon equivalent of children." Sebastian said with a smirk. "They're no more powerful than a monkey of similar size." Ciel looked incredulously at the little impish things, noticing again that they did have child-like faces. " _That_ is what demons look like when they're kids?" Ciel asked. It was Gabriel's turn to chuckle now.

"Well what'd you think? A demon's human form is all an illusion. Babies like these guys can't hold a human form very well yet. Like your demon said, they're not very powerful. In fact," He said, grabbing ahold of one that came willingly up to him, picking it up like the child it apparently was. "Humans are more than capable of killing these little guys – hence your lack of a warm welcome from them." He held the greenish thing in his arms, his expression becoming somber for a moment.

"A lot of these guys are here because of humans." Gabriel explained as Ciel's eyes went wide with surprise. "You might not know it, living with someone like him," He nodded to Sebastian "But humans can hurt demons, though sometimes it's not on purpose. Take the little one who charged at you," Gabriel indicated to the red-head, who had wandered off with the rest as they gradually disbanded, having lost interest. "He was separated from his mother when humans came in to log the forest he was born in. The humans had guns with them – and as much as you'd might think elsewise, it takes a demon a long time before he's immune to something that powerful, though we do naturally have quite a resistance to mortal weaponry." Gabriel sighed. "While a shot wouldn't have killed him by itself, it would have wounded him to the point he might as well have been dead. After all, just like with anything else, there's always something out there that can and _will_ eat them." Gabriel frowned deeply. "Young demons are no stronger, relative to our own ecosystem in Gehenna, than a mortal child in the human world. Beasts like the one's I'm sure you encountered out there will gladly eat a baby demon if they can catch it, as will mortal animals like dogs or wolves." Ciel recalled the flying creatures he'd evaded before. He'd never given any thought to what demons were like when they were young...nor did he know they could be so fragile, what with how resilient his own butler was. "That little one," Gabriel again indicated to the red-head, who was now playing what looked like a game of tag with the other "children".

"His mother was killed inadvertently by the humans who chased them out. She wound up running into another demon's territory; a male a lot bigger than she was." He continued. "He blamed the loggers for her death, and has hated humans ever since." Ciel felt a pang of pity then, and if he was honest, a bit of guilt as well.

"But...she could have killed them, couldn't she?" Ciel asked, watching the little creatures play just as human children might. Gabriel set the one he'd been holding down then, and the demon child came up to him with obvious curiosity, cocking it's head to and fro as it examined him up and down whilst sitting on it's haunches like a dog. "You're quite right; nothing is more frightening than a mother demon protecting her baby." Gabriel agreed as they both watched the little one sniff Ciel's pants cautiously, eyeing him as if expecting to be kicked away. "However, while I'm sure you were raised to believe differently, most demons don't want any quarrel with humans outside of the predator-prey relationship we can't really help but have with your kind."

So, what? He'd been _lied_ to his whole life? Ciel couldn't deny what Gabriel said. He _was_ raised to believe differently. He grew up, like most children did, on stories extracted from the Bible; he was told, as most children were, the story of Eve and the trickery of the Serpent of Eden. When Sebastian had appeared before him, he'd already given up his faith in the goodness of the Lord. But living with Sebastian for so long, he could barely keep count of the number of times he'd likened him to the Devil he knew of lore – micheivious, evil, and heartless; no morals, no loyalty, nothing but lies, deceit and selfish hedonism. And he'd made peace with that – after all, he made a deal with him. It's not like he had a choice.

But this, and Alistar as well...He didn't know _what_ to think any more.

"My Lord? Are you alright?" Sebastian leaned down to his level, as genuine of concern in his voice as Ciel had ever known him to use. The Earl shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"I'm fine." He lied. He looked down again at the little creature sitting there before him, looking up at him strangely. As soon as he acknowledged it, it came forward again, reaching tenatively out to touch him with a hand as childish as it's face. Ciel felt Sebastian move to intervene, but he put up a hand to halt him.  
"It's fine." He said, flicking his hand to indicate for Sebastian to back off. He didn't need to look at the butler to know what expression he had on his face.

Gathering his courage, the Earl slowly slid down onto his own haunches, making the small demon back away a bit.

"It's alright." He encouraged, overtaken then by a mood he couldn't put into words. It was as if he felt the need to make right, somehow, what these demons seen him as.

 _'To them...to them, **I'm** the monster here.' _ Ciel thought strangely. _'The tides are different when they're younger. If I can hurt them, then adults must be...'_ Ciel stopped his thoughts right there, not daring to let his mind venture that far away from his state of normal just yet. He'd go mad if he did.

"It's okay. I won't hurt you." Ciel tried to keep the nerves from his voice as he carefully extended a hand to the little demon. It gazed at him inquisitively, coming forward on all fours to sniff at his hand. Half expecting it to bite him, he jerked a little when it's clawed hand touched his, turning it over as it examined him closer.

"Human." It spoke in a feminine voice. Startled, Ciel looked up – only to see Alistar standing before him, watching their interaction with an amused expression.

"Alistar!" Ciel exclaimed, having not seen or even sensed his arrival.

"I see you're getting on with the children well." The pale demon responded. "Best you not get to close with them, though. Little one's like that are _supposed_ to avoid humans until they get bigger." He glared at Gabriel then, who wore a sheepish expression.

"I can't help it if she was raised as a changeling." Gabriel defended. Ciel quirked a brow for the umteenth time that day.

"Changeling?"

"In demon terms, a young demon who is found and attempts to be raised by humans." Alistar explained, coming over and picking her up like a puppy. The little one only blinked as she was handled, going limp else wise. He set her down on the other side of him, pushing her lightly onward towards the others. "You should really be playing with your _own_ kind, Maria." Alistar chastisized, ushering her along. She let out a huffing sigh, looking back at Ciel one more time before running along with the other children.

"She was raised by humans?" Ciel asked incredulously.

"Well, they _attempted_ to raise her." Gabriel said, coming up beside Alistar. "But the expression _demon-child_ in the sense you humans know it is quite accurate, even for us." Gabriel sighed dramatically. "If you think an adult demon is mischievous or has a bad temper, wait until a literal _child of a demon_ throws a fit. Even for our own kind, those kids can be terrors." He looked at the pallid face of the Earl then. "But that's why we came and got her. Her human parents, no matter how good-natured, would have eventually been forced to abandon her, or else become badly injured. Besides, it's not a good thing for baby demons to bond with humans."

"It's like a lion cub bonding with a ewe." Alistar finished. "Demons, soul-eaters in particular, only bond deeply so many times in their lives. As with all things, mother and baby normally have a close bond from birth until weaning." He said. "However, Maria's mother was nowhere to be found. An...understanding, pair of human parents took her in and tried to raise her; but she is a soul-eating demon. Because of her restricted diet, they couldn't feed her properly. She was half-starved when Gabriel found her at the house, which is why we came and took her from them."

"Awfully heroic of you." Sebastian half-mocked. Alistar shrugged. "There's nothing heroic about it. I seen a problem, and went about fixing it. No more, no less." He turned away then. "Come, Ciel. I'm sure you are dire for something to eat. You'd probably not feel so faint if you did." _'I'm not so sure of that...'_ Ciel thought as he followed along.

"Besides, there are things I do around here which could hardly be called charity work." Alistar said with a huff. "I do expect repayment from the teenagers, in particular, since they're a pain in my ass."

"How long do the young ones stay here for, generally speaking?" Sebastian asked curiously.

"Until they are capable of hunting on their own, generally, though species-specifics must be accounted for. Some demons naturally leave their young earlier or later than others. Some still never leave their parent's territory."

"What do you do with those?" Ciel inquired.

"They stay here for a time, then we find surrogate families for them in Gehenna. Though believe me, that's not an easy task." Gabriel responded, glancing at Alistar. "Especially since I'm the only one who can go back and forth. And what with the social classes as they are in that world, getting where I need to go is hardly easy, and usually means I'm gone for several decades if and when I have to go." He shrugged. "But it can't really be helped."

"What he means to say," Alistar corrected, looking over at Ciel. "Is that several decades pass _in the human world_ by the time he comes back. Time doesn't pass the same way in Hell that it does here. One week there is roughly equivalent to three _years_ here." Ciel blinked. "So..." he replied, glancing at Sebastian. "You mean to say that the reason he's always checking the time isn't just because of show, but because time passes faster for him?"

"Correct, most likely." Alistar looked over at Sebastian, who nodded in agreement.

"It's true, unfortunately. I lose track of time very easily in this world, and so having a pocket watch is not only part of my aesthetic, but also a necessary device if I am to have things done in a timely fashion – not because the days wear on for me, but because they pass me by in practically an instant." Ciel nodded, understanding. "I always did wonder why you were always checking that thing, what with the way you're able to memorize schedules."

"I memorize the timing of things by the position of the light, not the time of the day. To date, seasonal changes in the human world leave me perplexed at times if I am without my watch."

"What do you mean, the position of the light? Like how light or dark it is outside?"

"Yes." Sebastian replied, touching the chain of his watch absently. "Clocks exist in our world, but few demons use one. Most things are determined by the light of the day or how high the moon is. It's a primitive system, but it's highly effective."

"I see."

"Come." Alistar said suddenly, motioning with a showing motion to a rather well-made white house, of sorts. In fact, as Ciel glanced around, he noticed that none of the buildings or houses were as dilapidated as the illusion had suggested, and were actually quite well-kept.

"Are all demons organization freaks?" Ciel muttered under his breath, forgetting that his companions had super sensitive hearing. A light, bell-like laughter reached his ears, and it took him a moment to realize it was Alistar laughing.

"That would be the work of our resident architect, Sahri." he explained. "He is the one who maintains the houses and buildings here, as well as adds new ones when we need it. Word of advice to you, little earl," Alistar warned, though he was smiling. "Don't try to bother Sahri. He's more prickly than a cactus and his tongue is just as sharp. Crossing him might end badly for you if you aren't careful."

"Anyone else I should avoid, while we are on the subject?"

"We can discuss that later. For now, come inside and get something to fill your stomach with."

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The inside of the house-building turned out to be a mess hall...sort of. Rather than one large table, there were several dozen ordered in neat lines across the otherwise empty floorspace. It was impeccably clean, much to his surprise. At the far left corner was a sectioned off area that was probably the food prep area, and in the right corner stretching halfway up the walls was another area that could have been a separate room, since it had a door to get inside.

"What's the room for?" He asked.

"Defensive eaters. We try to keep the flesh eaters, which are the only ones who use this place, as separate as possible when feeding. Most of them just come and go from here anyway, but in the event that there are many in here at once, that room can come in handy."

"Some of the demons here," Gabriel continued effortlessly, "Come in to us starved or malnourished. Many others are wounded in fights and need to eat in order to heal." He pointed then to the room. "Being in pain or going hungry for a long time can make anyone really cranky, so to keep fights from breaking out, we put those that guard their food with their lives in there to eat. It has steel chambers in it that they can be put into to avoid confronting each other over a meal."

"I have to admit that that's clever," Sebastian acknowledged. "But I do have to wonder, how does a demon find themselves here?"

Ciel listened in on their conversation as he was sat down at a table. Gabriel went off to the food-prep area to fetch something – hopefully something edible for a human, Ciel thought.

"Demons come to us willingly most the time. I am, after all, a healer." Alistar reminded. "I have a known reputation in these mountains by the local demons living here. If they find an injured fiend, they usually bring it here."

"But there is a barrier around this place..." Sebastian implied a question with his tone.

"Yes. There are three layers – one at the base of the mountain that alerts Gabriel alone to demon and human tresspassers alike, one that will trip an auditory alarm within the village if Gabriel doesn't disarm it, and the third one is impassable by humans, and requires a specific password to get through it."

" _Galah._ " Ciel remembered. "What does it mean, anyway? The way he said it made it sound like a foreign language."

"It's Hebrew." Sebastian filled in. "It means to reveal or strip away the disguise of. Not a very clever password, but I suppose it keeps lower demons out."

"Indeed." Alistar agreed. Gabriel came back then with a large metal dish of kinds, setting it on the table in front of Ciel. The scent of cooked chicken and something he couldn't quite place filled his senses long before he seen the meat, which was piled rather unelegantly on the dish.

"Sorry about the crap presentation – demons aren't exactly picky about things like that. Also why there's no glass plates." Gabriel shrugged apologetically.

"It's ok. I understand." He wasted no time grabbing what looked like a chicken leg and mercilessly biting into it, his stomach reawakening his hunger as he tasted the juicy meat in his mouth.

"Fear not about manners, either. Believe me, none of the demons around here have any at the table – it's a wonder Fukuo ever gets this place sparkling clean as she does." Ciel swallowed his food quickly, blushing in spite of Gabriel's words at his unseemly eating habits.

"Is she another I should avoid contact with?" Ciel would personally avoid contact with any of them, but that was more of his introversion talking than any sense of fear for his safety – after all, he still had Sebastian.

"Nah." Gabriel dismissed with a wave. "She's not privy to humans, being a flesh eater. See, we fleshies have considerably more variety in our diets than soul-eaters do. Whereas they don't have much choice but to hunt humans, flesh eaters can choose to eat just about anything with muscles – hence the chicken on your plate." Ciel gave Sebastian a sparing glance, having not quite thought about the fact that he didn't have a choice but to feed on humans like himself.

"Well, I suppose there are animals that can only eat certain things, like the way Pandas are dependent on bamboo, or how vultures can only eat whatever is dead." Ciel explained to himself quietly. Sebastian chuckled softly.

"I suppose that's one way to put it." He came up behind his master. "By the way, you are taking this all in surprisingly well." Ciel paused as he reached for another piece of meat.

"I guess I don't see a reason to get upset. I admit it did surprise me, the fact that young demons are really no less fragile than young children, or that humans could cause problems for them...but..." Ciel thought a moment how to speak his mind. "I admit, I never really thought about any of this before – but now that I know about it, I actually find it easier to accept than what I've been told my whole life." All eyes looked to him with surprise. "Demons are still living things, aren't they? They might not need to sleep, but you need to eat and bleed when you get hurt. No matter how powerful, everything has a weakness somewhere, or a chink in their armour." Ciel smirked as he turned to look at his butler. "I guess demon's general weakness is the same as everyone else's – their children." Sebastian smiled back, familiar mischief glinting off his fangs.

"Indeed, young master. You are quite right about that."

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 **WHOO! That was fun. But not nearly the end of it. Oh, by no means.**

 **I apologize if my world building seems...cliche, but hey. This is anime. Cliche's are everything.**

 **Just a reminder, reviews – I love 'em. :)**

 **Until next time!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ok, getting on with things! You guy's feedback has done wonders for my imagination. Thank you!**

 **WARNING: a little bit of angst – and a surprise.**

 **Going on.**

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 **CH VII**

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"Come, little Phantomhive." Alistar said as they exited the mess hall. "There is something I want to show you." Alistar offered his hand to Ciel then, who merely stared at the outstretched appendage strangely, not entirely certain if taking it was wise, and equally unsure that refusing to take it was any smarter. Despite Alistar's strangeness, Ciel hadn't forgotten that he was a demon.

"You may take his hand if you wish, young Lord. It may seem odd coming from me, but I sense no ill will behind his actions." Sebastian whispered to him softly.

"You trust him." Ciel stated. He felt more than seen Sebastian's head nod over his shoulder.

"Come." Alistar repeated, and Ciel tenatively took the demon's hand, letting him lead him out the door and back into the main yard.

There, some ways down the path was what looked like a wooden pyre, of kinds, like the sort you would build for a bonfire, many small bodies bustling around it, adding wood as they passed by.

"What is that for?"

"A little bit of demon culture, if you will." Alistar stated with a smile. "It's the week of Samhain – what _you_ would consider All Hallows Eve." He explained. "While it's hardly celebrated everywhere in Gehenna, we like to have the children participate in this...holiday, I suppose you could call it."

"A holiday? From Hell?" Ciel asked incredulously.

"Hard as it is to believe, even demons celebrate certain things." Sebastian reaffirmed. "The week of Samhain is sort of like the demon equivalent of both Halloween and Hanuka – but without the religious affiliations, of course." Sebastian explained. "It is a celebration that has changed shapes and forms over the millennia after it was accidentally introduced to humankind. Traditionally, it celebrates the crowning of the...kings, I suppose you could call them, of our world."

"Kings? Plural?"

"Plural." Alistar affirmed. "There are four high Lords. I suppose it doesn't do much harm to name them, since they're already famous here in the human world..." Alistar took a breath, and Ciel braced himself, knowing from experience with Sebastian that this was likely to be long. " There are four high Kings; Lucifer, the Lord of the West and Wind; Beelzebub, the Lord of the North and of Earth; Leviathan, Lord of the East and the Waters; and, of course, the most infamous of them, Satan, Lord of the South and of Fire."

"Why the elemental designation?" Ciel asked curiously.

"It assists mostly in identifying whose offspring is whose." Gabriel interjected. " Like Alistar here. He's a near perfect swimmer, though you'd never know it lookin' at him. That's because his mother was a water-type demon, which means..."

"You're related to Leviathan?" Ciel turned surprised eyes on Alistar then, not having expected to be in the presence of a noble demon.

"Yes, though before you get any ideas, I am not a prince." Alistar's eyes had the same melancholy look in them as they always did whenever he mentioned something a little too personal. "That title was stripped from me at birth. I was born different, if you recall." He said sarcastically, gesturing to his pale hair and claws. "But my mother was one of Leviathan's daughters; she cared for me, but my own father did not." Ciel listened intently as he talked about himself, though why he was always so ensnared by these personal tales, he did not know. "He revoked all rights I had as a demon of noble birth, and put me to work as a servant for his own sons – my brothers." Ciel could not help but feel a stab of pity for him, and when he looked to Sebastian, found an equally unpleasant expression on his face, though it's precise emotion was hard to discern. "I lived most my life that way, and was rather cruelly brought up never to lie to anyone and to always be as honest as I could be. In service, that's a smart move; if a servant sees something that they should not, then they then have fewer inclinations to hide it. However, in case you can't tell, it makes us a bit prone to not hiding _anything_." Alistar smiled in what appeared to be a painful way.

"Can I ask you something, Alistar?" Ciel spoke before his mind knew what his mouth was doing, and in a stream of unstoppable curiosity tumbled forth without constraint a horribly personal question. "Why, exactly, were you banished here?" Realizing too late by the dead silence around him that he'd stepped over a line, he tried to backtrack, but Alistar cut him off.

"It's alright. I don't blame you for being curious." He shrugged it off, resuming a casual air, answering non-chalantly, "We never got along, my father and I. Though I am tame now, I was once quite a hell-raiser. And I don't say that lightly." Ciel realized then that they had stopped some time ago in front of the bon fire, which as it got dark was being lit ablaze by a crimson fire. The flame's orange light reflected off of Alistar's alabaster skin, making him look...warm. "I made a bit of trouble, did a few things I wasn't supposed to...and, well, my father seen it fit to banish me here, to the human world. He said it would 'sober me up'...Well, I hate to admit it, but he was right." Ciel watched the shadows dance over the pale demon's face, his spirit strangely at ease as this noble-born, pauper-made prince regaled his story to the little Earl. Ciel didn't know why, but there was something inherently comforting about this demon, somehow. And not in the Sebastian-like way; if Sebastian was a black suit of impenetrable armour, then Alistar was a thick and heavy comforter that was both smothering and comfortable at the same time.

" I find it odd..." Ciel said after a pause. "Well, while I didn't ever really know anything about demons before...I guess it's because I never wanted to know."

"Few humans do." Alistar said. Ciel shook his head, not finished.

"I guess what I am trying to say," Ciel said, watching the ribbons of fire dance before him as they scaled up the pyre. "Is thank you. For sharing what you have with me. For being...well, I'm not sure of any other way to say it, but _kind_ to me." Alistar and Sebastian both wore expressions of surprise, while Gabriel merely chuckled knowingly in the background.  
"Kind, huh?" Alistar said ponderously. After a moment, that same tin-bell like laughter escaped from his lips in liquid drivulets that made his voice sound so fluid that it was almost physically attractive. "I assure you, I know little of kindness. I said so before – I merely solve the problems presented to me in the least confrontational way possible. Nothing more, nothing less. If you want to see kindness in it, then I suppose I can not stop you – but I assure you I am just as selfish as any other demon." Sebastian looked over at his unwilling sibling discreetly, wondering.

 _'Is that so?'_ Sebastian thought. _'Because from where I am standing, it seems as if you have been around humans for far too long – you are increasingly alike to them.'_ Just then, Sebastian was again reminded of what Alistar had told him in the dark room of the mansion that night:

 _What hypocrites we are._

 _'Perhaps you are not as naive as you appear, little brother. Yes, you are quite beginning to remind me of someone, in fact...'_

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The wind howled mercilessly against the dull wooden shudders of the second floor balcony, billowing in it's wake the black robes of a tall, silver-haired figure. He tapped his long fingernails against the railing, staring sonderously at the nearly-full moon.

"Are you going to stand there all night, or are you going to come in? It's freezing out here." One imperious looking Ronald Knox said, dressed in a flowing green coat with orange patterns woven into it. He walked up behind the figure, shifting to press against his side with his own as he lightly touched the elder's hand.

"Perhaps." Was the cryptic reply he was given. Ronald looked down guiltily at the dark green band around the man's wrist, a way of tracking him if he wandered too far away.

"Well, when you do, you know where to find me." Ronald said after a moment, stroking his fingers gently before turning away. Just as he did so, lithe arms wrapped around his waist as a face disappeared into the back of his neck, smelling his hair with a deep inhale.

"What's wrong, Undertaker?" Ronald asked, becoming concerned with his odd behaviour.

"I have a bad feeling." the elder explained. "Like I am going to lose something precious to me. I can not explain it; I just get this strange sense that perhaps..." He trailed off worryingly.

"Undertaker? You know you can talk to me." Ronald reassured, fiddling with a strand of starlight hair that had fallen over his shoulder.

"I know." He replied. There was a long pause before he replied further. " I have a feeling, somehow, that my little Earl is swiftly finding himself unwittingly trapped into a corner."

"Oh? What makes you say that?" Ronald asked, a frown on his face.

"I don't really know, myself." Undertaker's gaze once more became entranced by the moon's face.

"I just...know."

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 **Short chapter! Everything gets complicated whenever Undertaker gets involved – what's his connection to this? And what does he mean, trapped?**

 **Now, remember that this IS inspired by Dracula – with that, if Sebastian is representative of the Count himself, who does that make Alistar? Undertaker? Gabriel? What about Ciel? For the purposes of eliminating the option, I will tell you that the to-be featured Grell is rep. Of Reinfield – the crazy werewolf at Dracula's behest. Wonder who that leaves Undertaker as?**

 **You'll just have to read on to find out!**

 **Until next time! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry for the absence! School started again, so my posts have been more erratic than ever. I once again thank my reviewers for keeping the spirit alive! Speaking of which, this chapter suits the times perfectly – it's just past halloween, after all! With that, I wish you all who celebrate the holiday (or any version thereof) an late Happy Halloween! (my favourite holiday, if we're being honest).**

 **Moving on!**

 **WARNING: Some violence – even demons can be bullies, after all. Also the use of the word "negroe" _as applied in those times_ (to indicate a person of colour in a non-insulting fashion), plus some spookiness to befit the here and now today. They are, after all, celebrating Samhain, the holiday that founded Halloween! :)**

 **Before we move on, I don't want to surprise anybody with pairings they don't approve of, so I am going to lay down right now: Knox and Undertaker are a thing. Somehow, their personalities just...fit together. I can't quite explain it, but it works for me. Grell will be with William for reasons, and Ciel...well, I don't really know if he will even be paired up. Sebastian...I'm not sure what I'm going to do with him yet, but he's bound to have sexy time with someone. Whoever happens to fit in the scene at the time _unless someone_ _requests_ _something specific. (this MAY include SebaCiel...as long as you know it won't be fluffy or in any way sweet. SebastianXWilliam is also open as a possibility, but I won't include it unless requested.)_**

 **With that reaffirmed, let's get on with the celebration! (Because Halloween is AWESOME)**

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 **CH XIII**

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Benches made from four meter half-logs were brought out as the sky turned dark, and situated some ways from the pyre all the way around, giving many of the villagers places to settle around the vermilion fire. Others stood behind them, most of them chatting amongst themselves.

As the fire grew, every demon within sight of Ciel seemed to be carrying on a conversation, displaying a social side of themselves Ciel knew Sebastian to possess in proper company – but which he was under the impression that they did not carry out amongst themselves. _'Sebastian seems just fine in isolation...I know he can be social and chatty, but I rather assumed that was all a ruse. How little I know...'_ Ciel was sitting on a bench placed in front of a wooden house that cast him into the shade of the moon. He spared a glance at his butler, who stood to the side of the shade, his skin bathed in silver moonlight. A somber feeling filled his chest. _'To think, all this time you knew almost everything about me – you know when I am dreaming, even walk through my dreams at times; you know what makes me uneasy and you know very well when I am frightened, as well as what scares me. You know more about my family than I have ever told you, more about my body than I have ever shown you or even know myself; sometimes I really do wonder if you can read my mind – yet, in all this time, I've never really stopped to wonder why you are here or where you came from. I guess I didn't want to burden myself with the knowledge in case it turned out badly...but now that I've gotten a taste, a hint of you, of your true self – now I want to know more. More about you. More about where you came from, about where_ ** _I_** _will be going, in one way or another.'_

Alistar had been toying with the fire, building it up. As he finished, he then raised his arms high into the air, making all movement and conversation cease as he did so. "Brethren, Sisters, nieces and nephews – the week of Samhain has begun again!" He announced. Gabriel came from the shadows behind Ciel, coming around the bench to sit beside him at a comfortable distance, watching his mate with pride in his eyes. "I welcome you all to the first eve's celebration – the bonfire, representing our beginning – or, rather, the beginning of our world as it is today." Alistar slowly lowered his arms, ducking his way through the crowd for a moment as he retrieved something from behind the crowd – a turkey sized bird, long dead, with long wings that were bright red when viewed from below, and a stunning silver when viewed from the other way around, evidenced by the tilting of the creature in his hand where he grasped it by the neck. The belly of the bird was pitch black, it's legs a blue hue – definitely not a bird he'd ever seen before. "This bird, known in this world as _Kirihito_ , is the embodiment of our kin, for the purposes of this festivity." Ciel then watched, wide-eyed, as he drew a silver blade from seemingly nowhere and severed the wings of the bird, each with one good slice. "There is a story to be had for this sacrifice – hear it that you will understand." He said before thrusting the severed wings upwards, letting the rest of the bird fall from his hands. "Anyone else want to tell it, while we are here?" Gabriel's hand shot straight up. "Besides Gabriel." Alistar corrected, not bothering to turn to see his mate's eager enthusiasm.

"But Gabriel tells the story really well," A voice said. "Even if he has to explain his name a thousand times in the process." A ripple of laughter followed from the crowd.

"Please, Alistar, let big brother Gabriel tell the story of the Kings!"

"Yes, please!" More and more voices voted for the other demon to tell the story. Ciel shrugged, turning to the demon in question. "You might as well, for as eager as they are." He commented, gesturing towards the anticipatory crowd. Alistar eventually gave way under the pressure, beckoning his mate with a waving hand. Gabriel all but leapt at the opportunity, bounding up to where Alistar stood and taking the severed wings when he was offered them.

A hand on Ciel's shoulder make him jump, and he turned to see Sebastian, who had been rather quiet up till now, leaning over his shoulder with a scowl on his face. "I don't think it is wise you listen to this tale." Sebastian cautioned. Ciel scanned his butler's face, though he wasn't sure what he was looking for; what he found, however, was the equivalent of a brick wall, immovable and stubborn. His butler's words hadn't been good advice – they were a stern warning. Ordinarily, Ciel would have taken this warning to heart – Sebastian often had a better sense of judgement than he did sometimes, after all – but grew quite agitated instead. "And why not?" Ciel had to ask – Sebastian didn't usually order him around unless it was for a good reason. And in a way, Ciel couldn't help but see his butler's "I don't think it is wise" as an order or demand, rather than appeasement. From the corner of his eye, Ciel watched the demon's firm, rust coloured eyes harden farther.

"For the purposes of protecting whatever sanctity exists between our relationship as master and servant." Sebastian clipped. "While I do admire your effort to understand my kind, I do not feel it is a wise choice to delve any deeper – for both your sake and mine." Ciel turned an unreadable expression to face his butler's hard gaze. "Fine. But only if you can convince me that knowing any more will be detrimental to me." Sebastian's eyes became colder still. Sensing that he was ruffling the demon's feathers with his stubbornness, Ciel offered a brief explanation. "I have already gone in too deep, Sebastian. You of all people should know – I'm a curious person." Ciel threatened. "I am also not one to give pause just because someone tells me to. If learning any more about your kind will put me, or our contract, at risk, then merely saying so is not necessarily going to deter me."

"I know." Sebastian said shortly, though a small smirk was playing on the edges of his lips. "Which is why I will tell you some of the potential ramifications of continuing to play this game of curious cat and deadly dog." Ciel felt a shift in the demon's aura, and unconsciously braced himself.

"I am a demon. Nothing can or will change that, just as nothing can or will alter the fate you have chosen for yourself."

"I know that." Ciel interupted. The glare sent his way made him wish he hadn't. "Having said that, there is a reason I am little inclined to have told you any of this before. Think about it for a moment – to me, you are in a rather uncomfortable position. You are the prey – I am the predator." Sebastian said, coming around to stand in front of his master. "You are a cat too curious for your own good – I am the vicious guard dog that will tear you apart once I've caught you. Don't you think, then, that it is ill advised to grow too comfortable in the presence of the dog?" Ciel leaned back as his butler loomed over him suddenly, the shadows around them vibrating with a disturbing energy. "On the other hand," Sebastian continued. "You must also trust the dog to defend you when you stand behind it. However, beyond this, nothing more is necessary to be accomplished." Sebastian clipped. Ciel didn't bother to fight it when his butler's hand rested itself upon his chest with a gentleness that somehow frightened him. "You are treading into dangerous waters, my lord. On one hand, you are likely to grow far too familiar with me or my ilk – this is the same as a lamb becoming so accustomed to a lion that it would walk willingly among a pride of them, alone, with a foolish cockiness and a blind sense of trust. On the other, what you find as you continue to dig may very well be your own grave." At this, the demon suddenly grasped his shirt firmly in his hand, jerking the earl forward with a slight, but no less violent tug. Ciel cringed back as the demon's eyes literally bored their way into his soul, pinning him where he sat, though Sebastian touched him no longer."There is a reason why humans detest demons. Why they fear us. Why we are regarded as monsters and nothing more. So before you delve any deeper into this world, _none_ of which you were ever meant to understand outside of your derelict relationship to me, I will ask you this, little lord – how much more are you willing to sacrifice in order to obtain the knowledge that you seek? Demons are greedy creatures after all – nothing from us will _ever_ come for free." Sebastian's voice had dropped in volume, but also in pitch, more closely resembling the sound of his truer self – the self that had presented itself to him those years ago, back when he was more literally trapped in a cage. Now, however, he felt trapped for a different reason entirely, his demon's energy and domineering aura slowly smothering him where he sat, forcing him unwillingly into a submissive position as he all but cowered against the bench.

"Oi!" Alistar gave a shout, though it took a moment for Ciel to understand it was directed at them. Sebastian seemed to know, however, and turned a rather menacing scowl towards the paler demon. "I realize it's none of my business, but if you are going to argue with each other, please do it someplace that _isn't_ crawling with scavengers." Alistar pointed to the building above them, prompting both of them to look up at it, Sebastian's oppressive energy falling by the wayside as he did so. Ciel's heart skipped a beat when he seen the line of crow-like birds sitting on the gutter above them, watching with not two, but three eyes each, every one of them a vivid red. If Ciel had been cowering before, he all but flattened himself against the bench now, scooting away from the feathered fiends, growing increasingly disturbed when their eyes followed him.

"Those are known as _Gumi_ around here. Their cute name belies their wicked purpose – they are flesh-roosters, parasitic brooders that use the body cavities of anything dead or dying to rear their young. Of course, they're not picky about exactly what the vessel is, but rarely will they take the healthy – so long as nothing comes of your spats, you'll be fine." Alistar reassured the frightened earl, not that it helped much, what with his implication. He tried to look to his butler, but couldn't look Sebastian in the eye - a fact which swiftly turned his fear into fury.

"And nothing shall, so long as our contract remains in place." Ciel snapped, rising from his undignified position and regaining his composure swiftly. "Threaten me all you like, but it will not alter my course so long as I deign it so." Sebastian's head whirled, giving his master an expression both surprised and irate. "Rather, I will continue to seek the truth. The truth to a lie I've been told my whole life." Ciel gazed down at his ring, stroking it. He could feel the heat of Sebastian's glare.

"Even if it means that your wish will not be granted?" Ciel's mind froze.

"I do not make threats, my lord – I deal out warnings." Sebastian all but hissed. "The contract will be fulfilled to the best of possible circumstances as they happen. However, just like before – even if the contract is terminated, your soul ultimately belongs to me." Ciel turned a hot glare onto his butler, ignoring the voyeur that was Alistar for the time. "So I am aware – you've made it abundantly clear that you aren't going to let me escape. However, you did not say that my curiosity would harm our deal, only that it would injure myself. Did you, then, lie to me?" Ciel challenged. Sebastian met his challenge with a bitter retort. "Of course not." He snapped, sounding offended, as he usually did when accused of breaking the terms of their deal – however ironic that was, given the situation. "But that is only because I plan fully well on stopping you before the contract comes into play. By whatever means are required."

"Enough." Alistar, silently observing, intervened. He met Sebastian's glare this time with a hard but otherwise unidentifiable expression of his own. "I believe it is in your best interest to place some distance between yourself and your master – before both of you lose your heads." A low growl made Ciel jump unwillingly. It took him a moment to realize it had come from his own butler.

"Do not interfere." Sebastian growled menacingly.

"Do not _make_ me interfere, and I won't." Alistar rebutted firmly, holding his ground. "The aura here is beginning to affect you. If you can not see that, then you are not fit to remain here with your master." A light of realization dawned over Sebastian's head, though the defiance did not leave his eyes. "Or had you forgotten who's territory you presently occupy?" Alistar warned, but there was no real bite to it. It was as if he already knew he'd won – something the dark-clad butler apparently found reprehensible, for he frowned at the other demon with a sore and sour look.

"Very well." Sebastian conceded reluctantly. "Maybe a bit of time to cool off would indeed be best." With one last, suspicious look at his master, Sebastian turned smoothly away from the two, wandering off a ways before vanishing into the shadows of the night.

It took Ciel a moment to process everything that just happened. What did Alistar mean when he said the aura was affecting him? Is that why Sebastian got so hostile? Come to think of it, it was a bit unlike him...

"Are you alright?" Ciel cleared the fuzz from his head with a decent shake, focusing on the white clad demon, who had come to sit beside him.

"I'm okay." The earl mumbled, still pondering over what just transpired.

"Don't be upset with him, if you can help it." Alistar counselled. "It happens sometimes to demons who are... out of their element for too long."

"You mean out of Hell?"

"Something like that, yes." Alistar explained. "It makes sense when you think about it. If you were taken away from basically all human contact for several years, with only animals to keep you company, you might find re-integrating with your own kind a bit...overwhelming." He smirked lightly. "This village is, in all likelihood, just as strange to him as it is to you, though perhaps in a different way. Not many demons take it upon themselves to nurse the injured or the sick – survival of the fittest, and what have you. It's a mind-frame many of the higher-ranking demons of our world possess, your own demon included." Alistar explained. "You can't really be angry with him. It's in his instincts to hide any sign of weakness, especially with other demons present. That includes distress or discomfort." Ciel could almost laugh, but he didn't, settling for a triumphant smirk.

"So you're telling me that all of that was just a bit of _stress_?"

"Basically, yes. You have to figure that our senses are different than yours. There's an entire sensory world that you do not have an awareness of, but which demons naturally uptake from the time they are born. There are many sights, smells, sounds and auras here which are strange and threatening – not to him, per-say, but to you." Alistar explained, gesturing to the crowd, who was being enraptured by Gabriel's tale, of which Ciel noted bitterly that he'd missed out on anyway. "You are contracted to him. His purpose here on earth does not exist if _you_ cease to exist. Besides, what demon isn't a little food aggressive?" Alistar smiled, encouraging Ciel, somehow, to brighten his mood. This demon...he had a very interesting effect on people's emotions, Ciel noticed. He mentally bookmarked the thought for later contemplation when the crowd of demons made a joyous ruckus as Gabriel finished his tale, throwing the wings into the fire as he did so.

"You'll have to regale to me that story a different time, Alistar. Regardless of Sebastian's moodiness, I still want to hear it." Ciel commented. Alistar chuckled in response. "Perhaps I shall, some other time." Gabriel appeared at the side of his mate then, drawing the white demon's attention away. The two exchanged an affectionate head-butt, their foreheads touching briefly.

The touching moment didn't last.

In the next instant, both of the lover's body languages changed dramatically, and just like Sebastian's before, their bodies took on a defensive edge, their muscles tense and minds clearly aware. But something didn't seem quite right – Alistar seemed more relaxed than his mate was or Sebastian had been.

" _Alistar._ " A heavy, booming voice echoed through the village, drawing all eyes east of the fire and hushing all voices or cries, bringing upon the village a creepy silence. Those on that side of the pyre parted swiftly to reveal another demon, one of impressive size, carrying a small, impish creature in his hand. The creature didn't look like a youngling, but rather a real-life imp, green skin and pointed ears included.

"Your security really should be tighter." The demon's voice was as deep and hollow as a truss of thunder, his impressive height and substantial muscle mass making him a very intimidating sight indeed. Daring to glance upwards, Ciel did a double take when he found a tightly curled set of horns atop the demon's head and animal like ears flicking irritably on either side of his face, which was folded into a menacing frown. His skin was very dark, negroe-like in colour, and his eyes were a piercing golden hue, with pupils like a cat's.

The huge demon dropped the struggling imp before Alistar, stepping on it's tail to keep it from escaping. The imp gave a shout in response, but attempted not to free itself.

"And why, might I ask, did you bring that here?" Alistar said cooly.

"I found it wandering near the gassing chamber." _'Gassing chamber?'_

"Did you now?" Alistar stated flatly, clearly disbelieving him. "Well, no matter. It's only a scavenger, same as the rest. Do with it as you will." Ciel felt a ripple of unease course through his abdomen, sensing a challenge in the white demon's statement.

"Are you sure that is wise?" The other demon's voice echoed menacingly off the building behind the earl. "You know perfectly well the precise sort of monster that I am. You've called me such yourself."

"Because you are a brute." Alistar replied simply, as if stating a fact. The other demon's frown turned into a snarl. In the next instant, Ciel watched in horror as the larger demon unceremoniously _squashed_ the tiny imp beneath his bare foot, which was adorned with long, talon-like claws. Ciel resisted the sudden urge to vomit as he heard the creature's bones snap and crunch amidst the _squick_ and _shlip_ of blood and entrails being forcefully expelled through orfices they should rightly never be near. A wave of nausea hit him hard then, doubling him over in an attempt not to lose his supper. A calming hand was placed on his back, and he could sense more than see the return of his butler at his side.

"Oh? What is this I see? A _human_ in our midst?" The demon's voice practically bellowed, amusement tainting his tone. "What a pathetic wretch you have become to us, Alistar, to be keeping pets like that." Ciel's stomach flipped now not only from anxiety, but anger as well.

"Too bad for you he's not mine to have." Alistar replied smoothly, Sebastian smirking in spite of the jab.

"So you let others who bow before mankind to infiltrate us?" He sounded angry now. "How much lower will you sink?"

"As low as I must in order to keep my charges safe." Ciel peeked up from his hunched position to regard Alistar with a bizarre sense of nobility, for such a phrase could hardly be called anything but noble in it's cause.

"Ah, yes, the humble hero." The other demon mocked. "Mankind has left their mark on you. What a shame. Had you proven yourself useful, there's a chance you would have been able to go back to Gehenna." Alistar's body stance became more guarded, and Gabriel let out a growl. Alistar raised a halting hand, pausing Gabriel in his movement to stand up for his mate.

"Forgive me, I am sure I heard you wrong." Alistar said pleasantly, smiling wickedly. "I was sure I heard you say you wanted me to _bow down_ to you and your war-obsessed master, not join your cause." The other demon growled. "And to that I say _no thank you_."

"You can run all you want." The behemoth demon stepped forward, his foot making a wet sound as it left the dead creature beneath it. "But you can not escape what is coming. I do not want the Devourers to get their greedy claws upon the stone which opens the portal between this world and our own any more than you. Their cause is aimless and utter chaos; they serve no master but themselves." The demon said. "But I also do not find it wise to keep such a possession in the human world precisely because of fiends like that."

"You shall not have it any more than they." Alistar clipped sternly, making the other demon growl. It was as close to raising his voice as Ciel had heard the white demon use. "For your intentions with the stone are no less than theirs. I know Satan well. I used to serve his sons, if you recall." Ciel's heart sank violently into his stomach, making him feel ill all over again. Just what were they talking about? What stone?

"That ill-tempered fool is what started the whole mess we demons find ourselves in." Alistar accused boldly. "He is the one who began the Great War and he is the one who causes humanity the most grief of any of the Kings. Yet, he is not even one who can walk amongst mankind in this world." Ciel listened on, more and more confused. "The only reason Satan wants the Indras Stone is to unleash his own hell on this earth. He hates humans with a passion I never knew a demon like us capable – yet you would bring him the means to walk this world in the flesh? Have you any idea the consequences of that? You don't seriously believe that the Angels would stand idly by whilst the Devil himself walked the earth?" Alistar argued. "But then, I suppose that's what he wants, isn't it? There's never any forgiveness or redemption for that Devil."

"As neither there should be for you!" The bigger demon bellowed with a deafening roar. Ciel shrank against the noise, feeling Sebastian's presence come closer to him still. "Forgiveness is a human trait, a human _weakness_." the demon hissed. Ciel peered over his knees to see that the brutish demon had come within a half a meter of Alistar and was effectively looming over him, though the white-clad demon didn't move a centimetre from his place, standing his ground with pridefully squared shoulders. It made Ciel believe the other demon's intimidation was just for show, and he was nearly inclined to chuckle at the scene, so alike to many he'd been in himself before.

"And what does that make your incurable ire and cockiness, hm?" Alistar challenged. "Because from where I stand it doesn't seem to be doing you any favours besides making Gabriel angry that I won't let him beat you up." Sure enough, said demon stood behind Alistar looking absolutely livid, his head bowed and shoulders raised like the hackles of a dog.

"Lucky he won't let me at you either." Gabriel muttered, though his voice had dropped to a dangerous pitch.

The demon, now insulted, gave a mighty roar, making as if to lash out at Alistar. Ciel watched the demon cock back a fist that would surely have broken even Alistar's bones, what with what the brute did to that imp. But before he could rebound that energy forward into a punch, the pale demon let out a single, drawn-out hiss of a kind that sent a chill running up the earl's spine. The pitch was deep and somehow multi-tonal, as if he was striking two notes in that eerie hiss, which rasped out of his throat for a solid five seconds, growing louder all the time. The sound was enough to give the other demon pause, but it didn't make him pause for long. Once the hissing came to a sharp halt, he began his momentum again, though his aim redirected itself lower.

"I wouldn't do that." Gabriel, suddenly in a much brighter mood, sing-songed.

In the next instant Ciel came to understand what he meant. A sharp, sudden, spitting hiss erupted quite violently from Alistar's mouth, and with it a stream of spray that initially seemed to be just saliva – once it hit the bigger demon's face, however, the brute instantly recoiled as if struck.

" _GaaaAAAAAHHH!_ " The brute gave a cry, seemingly in pain. A few whisps of a vapour rose from his cheek where the spray had landed, weaving between the giant's fingers as he clutched the wound with both hands.

"I told you you didn't want to do that." Gabriel mocked, smiling pridefully. "See, there's a reason no one messes with Alistar, and it's not just because he has a tag team." Gabriel explained haughtily, coming to stand by his mate with a ridiculously triumphant smirk. "But because he _spits._ Like a cobra. And for a half blind demon, he's got damn good aim." The brute gave another cry of pain, doubling over as if he was to be sick. "Also like a cobra, that venom will blind you. _Unlike_ a cobra, however, it will blind you _permanently_." Gabriel explained as he listened to the brutish demon groan.

"You'll find it will wear off in about an hour." Alistar said coldly. "I really don't like wasting perfectly good venom on lowlifes like you, but I suppose everybody has a challenge line. You dare come into _my_ territory, _my_ home, and treat me with such disrespect? As I recall it, you were left to die by that master of yours, were you not?" Alistar huffed, sounding genuinely angry now. "I am the one who took you in, who sheltered you and healed your wounds, and yet, you would challenge me like this?" Alistar came up to the other demon, who had keeled onto his side and was slowly but surely curling in on himself. _'I can't imagine how painful that venom must be to affect a demon like that. Especially one that big.'_ Ciel swallowed a lump in his throat he hadn't realized was there.

Alistar knelt down to the other demon's level, his eyes intense in their stare, despite his focal blindness. "Don't you think you're being a little _ungrateful_?" He whispered threateningly. The bigger demon instantly curled into a tight, protective ball, shielding his neck in particular with his hands. Alistar, satisfied by the display of submission, stood back up.

"Gabriel. Take him outside the border. If he wants to stir up trouble and begin anew the troubles of our kind, then let him be with those who share that ideal. The Devourers can have him now." At this, the demon shifted upright, a peculiar look of fear in his eyes.

"No, Alistar – "

"Do not _dare_ question me." Alistar commanded, his voice no louder than before, but possessing the intensity of a roar. "I gave you life, and you have thus _betrayed_ me. I will not stand for this. As punishment, you will be banished from the village for a fortnight. _If_ you are alive after that, then you may return and I _might_ accept an apology." He whirled to face the demon now, a frightening expression on his pale face. "Is that little enough _forgiveness_ for you?" With nothing else to say, the pale demon whirled back around, waving a mobilizing hand at Gabriel. Ciel, sitting silent through the ordeal, and not knowing in the slightest what to make of it yet, jumped when Alistar called his name.

"Come, little Phantomhive." He beckoned with the same hand. "You've had quite enough to deal with tonight."

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 **WHOO! That was a doozey of a chapter to write. Who knew Alistar could be so mean?**

 **It might be a while before I can update again, but any reviews you have will be greatly appreciated. Suggestions, predictions, etc. I'll take it all.**

 **With that, I bid you all goodnight!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Been a long while since I got around to this. School isn't playing nice, unfortunately.**

 **WARNINGS: The toxicity is spreading. Curiosity is like a nasty disease – it's very infectious and can kill you if you don't take care of yourself. It wars itself against Stubbornness, which is like a stone – impervious it may be, but it is also heavy and hard to carry on and on. What is Alistar to our young lord – a Shepard dog or a wolf in disguise? Read on. Read on and know – everything has a price.**

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 **IX**

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Ciel was lead to a large shack of sorts with white-washed walls and a dilapidating roof lined with ceramic shingles, many of which were broken and green with moss. He entered the open door offered to him without a single utterance, still shaken slightly from the events which just transpired. He took only a fleeting moment to examine his surroundings, which determined that this was likely Alistar's private quarters. Ciel kept a sharp eye on the pallid demon, who still fumed silently, pacing back and forth a moment across the open floorspace, upon which was a tanned leather hide of some sort. The space wasn't very big, about the size of a guest room at his manor – yet, in the farthest corner there was a single-burner stove, likely powered by fire, and around the room were several cabinets and bookshelves. The shelves were overflowing so that several books lay strewn here and there, piled discreetly underneath a bed that was at the back of the single room. There were three chairs at the centre, two lining one wall and another on the opposite. Each one was decorated in different kinds of leather – the single chair was the largest, possibly a recliner, and had a soft white fur draped over the back. _'Well, at least it's true that demons are generally hedonists.'_ Ciel didn't realize how uncomfortable he had been sitting on the bench outside until he spotted the big empty chair, which looked well-used if the dips and wear on it was any indication. His legs suddenly ached to be seated in something, and he felt his posture slip as a sudden wave of exhaustion hit him.

It wasn't until he spoke that Ciel realized Alistar had stopped pacing. "You must surely be tired after such a confusing and taxing day. You are welcome to sleep here – these quarters are intensely private; only Gabriel, myself, and our few-and-far-between guests are permitted to enter here. It is probably the safest place for you to stay while your defences are down." Alistar exchanged a glance with Sebastian. "And yes, your butler will be allowed to remain, though, once again, you are of little interest to me food-wise."

"There are many other ways in which a human can become an interest to a demon." Sebastian said grimly, though he wore a smirk of amusement.

"This is true," Alistar looked toward Ciel passively. "And I do find your master intriguing. However, I also am befriended of the Undertaker, who would surely kill me if I did anything to you." Ciel stood upright with a jolt at the reminder. He totally forgot to ask about that. _'Well, I suppose it's as good a place as any to begin getting things untangled.'_

"Speaking of which, how exactly do you know him? And what do you mean, befriended?" Ciel asked, another wave of exhaustion making his legs hurt badly enough to make him sway.

"Before I answer, you are probably better to sit down on something before you _fall_ down." Alistar gestured to a pale, leather-coated chair on the opposite wall as the large one. Disappointed but relieved, Ciel sat down in the chair and instantly felt a pleasant thrill of bliss stroke up his spine like a finger. It was deep and super soft, filled with a material that held the shape of him like a swaddle. It was almost enough to encourage a moan, had he not had his wits about him.

"Better?" Alistar asked, a knowing smirk on his face.

"I have to admit – you demons definitely know something about pleasure. I don't think I've ever felt a chair like this."

"Well, as it was made by yours-truly, I am glad that you are satisfied." Alistar smiled for a moment before turning to a low cabinet on the other wall, taking something from the top. When he turned to face the two guests, he held in his hand a piece of silver jewellery, upon it a plain locket.

"I have known the Undertaker for a long time now. I suppose it would be more accurate to call us acquaintances than friends, what with how we bicker like a cat and dog." Alistar held out the locket to Ciel, who took it with intrigue. "I am a genuine, real-life doctor with a travelling clinic, though I am stationed primarily in Inverness and Canterbury. Undertaker is, then, a frequent visitor of mine when patients I am in charge of die."

"But they...they don't usually die at the clinic, do they?" Ciel asked warily.

"Not usually, no. But I do some...hospice care, for the elderly, and am often on house-calls to see them. It's rather tragic, really, the way humans treat them sometimes. Almost all of those I see have no families or relatives to care for them – they then, like the children, fall beneath my wing and from there they either live out what little remains of their lives, or, as is more often the case, fall into a unwaking slumber, as it were." Alistar now held a chain of gold in his hands. From it dangled a cross, of all things. "I am no stranger to death, and neither am I a stranger to reapers – though rarely do they catch any wind of me. The Undertaker was one of the first, back when he still served." Ciel exchanged a look with Sebastian.

"You knew the Undertaker when he was still an active reaper?" Sebastian asked, hand held thoughtfully on his chin.

"Yes. We met for the first time around four hundred years ago; I was no doctor then, but I still attended the dying sometimes." Alistar continued. " Undertaker was lucky enough to spot me at the scene of a recent death – yet, for reasons I still do not know, he did nothing to engage me." Alistar's brows furrowed in concentration as well as confusion. Even a demon's memory wasn't perfect, after all. " I recall distinctively that he only stopped a moment to stare before he told me something I don't think I can ever erase from my memory:

 _The burning circle never ends, does it?_ "

"Now, the Burning Circle is a commonly known feature of Gehenna –it is what inspired the nine circles of Hell, even though there is only one ring – however, it is also used commonly as an analogy for the give and take effect. The circle is actually fed by angelic power, and isn't made of fire at all. It's like a barrier, meant to keep demons trapped within Gehenna; however, in order for the barrier to be kept up, it must be fed by angels on both sides of it. As a consequence, it's actually not that strange to see angels in hell." Alistar explained almost sheepishly, as if embarrassed by the confession. "But, of course, there's a price to pay when you dump something so pure into a venerable shit-hole of angry demons and hedonistic sin. So, to help them out, there's a small sanction of demons who are, shall we say 'owned' by the angels and used to guard them."

"Each side has to sacrifice something in order to keep things in check." Ciel surmised out loud.

"Yes, and unfortunately it is quite a literal sacrifice." Alistar said with a sigh. "I still do not know entirely what he meant by mentioning the burning circle at that time, but he did not pursue me nor alert anyone to my presence. It was a strangely peaceful moment between our kinds of live-and-let-live. We have, since then, bumped into each other off an on, but mostly we encounter each other nowadays when I arrive on house-call to a body that has already died."

"How is it, if I might ask, that you avoid the reapers with such a job?" Sebastian asked, clearly impressed.

"I make up for my blindness with advanced senses, even by measure of our kind." Alistar replied. "I know they are coming long before they get there. Besides, I may not be able to alter my appearance very much, but I can conceal my energy sufficiently that it takes an experienced reaper to see through me."

"Someone as experienced as Undertaker." Ciel interjected, pondering. "You said you have a clinic in Inverness?"

"Yes, I am chiefly stationed there – in fact, I was planning on taking you there in the morning. There is another acquaintance of mine there who may have some information about these recurring ghouls. What's more, I can expect to meet the Undertaker there – he is meant to be doing a fitting for a bedridden patient of mine. In this fashion, I should think it would be easy for you to kill two birds with one stone."

"Awfully considerate of you." Sebastian remarked suspiciously.

"On the contrary, we simply have similar interests in mind as regards this case." Alistar clarified. "I have been meaning to see this acquaintance for a while now. He is, shall we say, a...special, former patient of mine." Alistar smirked at something only he understood. "As for Undertaker, I have some personal business to attend with him anyway. So, really, I am doing this for my benefit as much as yours."

" I see." Ciel remarked with a smirk. A yawn quickly followed.

"You need to rest, little human. Your body will be in no condition to travel so far if you do not rest yourself sufficiently."

With this, Sebastian swiftly set to work preparing his master for bed, apologizing at not having a change of clothing prepared. The bed on the far wall was clean (and as far as Ciel could tell, mostly unused) and very soft. It took no time at all for him to fall asleep, leaving his butler in a more or less private space with his half sibling.

"You are a strange demon, I will grant you that." Sebastian began. "But at the end of the day, you are not very different from I. Thus, I must confess that I do appreciate the...benevolence, you have shown my master and I thusly – however, your kindness is, to put it bluntly, unneeded." Sebastian narrowed a crimson gaze at the demon before him. "And unasked for."

"I understand your concerns and why you would be suspicious of me." Alistar replied calmly, having seen this coming a ways off. "However, your suspicions themselves are unneeded – and unfounded." Sebastian's gaze hardened at the other's challenging tone, as if daring him to testify any evidence of ill-will. "I have my own purposes for doing as I will – if those purposes happen to benefit your master, so be it."

"That is not what I meant – and we both know it." Sebastian replied with a smile that was all teeth.

"Ah, yes. I suppose it isn't generally in the nature of our kind to give away things for free." Alistar turned his back to the other demon as he fiddled absently with something on the same low cabinet as before. To anyone else, it would seem a mindless or ignorant thing to do – but between the demons, it sent a strong and nearly insulting message, though not an untrue one: _This is my domain. You can not harm me here._

"Yes, in that regard, I suppose you are right to worry." Alistar replied after a moment. "But I will ask nothing of your master that he will miss or which he will not give me willingly. I do not generally ask for food – that is, souls – in exchange for my services."

"Then what is it that you do ask for, if not something so valuable?"

"Tch." Alistar made a disapproving noise. "While the soul is definitely valuable to the human and demon, I have always failed to see the grander purpose behind crafting them so artfully. But then, I am hardly more than a scavenger myself, picking on the sick and dying."

"I suspected that was the purpose of your peculiar profession." Sebastian smirked, clearly satisfied to be proven right.

"Yes, for the human patients I serve." Alistar turned back around to face his companion, holding a chess piece – a white rook. Narrowing his tawny gaze at the piece, Sebastian's suspicions turned a different direction entirely, though he wisely kept them to himself.

"This is all I ask for, in return for the information I have given your master. This small piece is all I ask for – nothing more."

"And whom do you take to be that on his board?"

"Whom? Don't make me laugh. I've already said I want no soul, no life." Alistar clarified with a toothy smirk of his own. "All I want in exchange for my givings is that which he would not miss anyway – that which defends him more than even you, that which protects him _from_ you." Quirking a brow with a frown, Sebastian hesitated before asking, "And that would be?" Alistar only smiled wider, holding out the rook for the other demon to take. He took it somewhat reluctantly, examining the piece in his hand, which was now an inky black.

"His innocence."

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 **Ok, so next chapter might not come until after holiday. Apologies for this wait!**

 **What will happen next, I wonder? Fufufufufu... Also, who is Sebastian's and Alistar's father, and what has he to do with any of this? Well, you'll find out in the next bone-chilling chapter.**

 **Until then, fare thee well for the holidays!**


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